Wanted: Perfect Mommy Candidate
by Loki.1827
Summary: Sasuke, a single father, started having problems when his 5 year old son Itachi asked for a mom. And it became a bigger issue when his son chose a perfectly male blond. Matchmaking and chaos courtesy of a five year old ensue. SasuNaru. AU.
1. Mommy Hunt o1

Disclaimer: The title Naruto and its characters belong to **Masashi Kishimoto**. (But Uzumaki Naruto belongs to Uxhiha Sasuke XP)

Warnings: YAOI (Boy-on-Boy Loving) Cursing, Future Lime/Lemon

Pairings: SasuNaru, others

I present you with another multi-chaptered SasuNaru story. I hope you'll enjoy this one as well :)

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**Wanted: Perfect Mommy Candidate**

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+Mommy Hunt o1+

**: : : : :**

Inside a spacious office filled with book-filled shelves, a small boy was sitting calmly on the comfortable looking leather sofa. His black eyes were staring directly at the other occupant in the room sitting behind the ancient desk made of Burmese teak, the latter also staring at him with the same set of eyes. Five year old Uchiha Itachi was patiently awaiting that other person's response.

At his young age, he already exhibited traits that show that he belonged to one of Konoha's oldest and most respected clans, the Uchiha; white skin, the black hair which he kept tied in a low ponytail and an expressionless face. He was a handsome boy with a certain air of mysteriousness surrounding him adding to his childish appeal, not to mention having a high quotient of intelligence that made him the clan's proud prodigy.

He was a child that every parent would want to have and would surely be proud to have. Then again, he was an Uchiha and their genes had always been superior.

And he also had the best of everything—clothes, toys and education. His father and paternal grandparents always made sure that he was well-provided and those given to him were always the best.

With all of that, Itachi thought he wouldn't want to ask for anything more. He never asked for anything specific because he believed that it was useless to have something that you didn't want. He was contented with what he had; or so he had thought until one particular morning he saw a scene that made his chest ache a little.

A mother was happily holding hands with her son.

And that scene made him realize that there was only one thing he wanted. He had no problems in voicing his request to his father since he asked for any kind of favor or made any request.

"Dad, I want a mom."

**: : : : :**

Uchiha Sasuke's face remained devoid of any emotion for he had long ago perfected the art of maintaining a poker face in whatever situation he might be in. His superfluous brain cells were all in frenzy since his mental processor refused to accept the message that neurons cells relayed. He still didn't want to process the words that came out from his son's mouth.

Sasuke was in a very tight spot. This request was testing his parental capabilities to his limit.

As far as he could remember, his son never came to him for any kind of favors or requests, both for material things and others. This was the first time that the boy actually approached him _directly_, which probably meant that Itachi _really_ wanted this

A mother means a woman. A woman who'll probably, being egoistic aside, end up falling in love (or end up obsessing, fantasizing and harassing) the young lawyer. He was not boasting; he was merely stating a strong fact. That was always the case and his curse. The more he avoids a woman, the more she becomes determined to pursue him. Just like what happened between him and Itachi's mother, Sakura.

Haruno Sakura was a beautiful woman with emerald green eyes and long hair dyed in the color of cherry blossoms. She was intelligent and confident; the picture of a modern woman who knew what she wanted and was resolute on getting it. She didn't care if Sasuke didn't like her like he was to her.

He would have never given her a second glance if it weren't for his father. His father thought that Sakura was the perfect match for his only son. To satisfy the old man, Sasuke went ahead and dated her.

He didn't have any plans for their future and it would've remained that way if it weren't for the graduation party which he decided to attend on a rare whim. The party itself was nothing but a blur and the next day, he woke up with a massive headache, naked with Sakura on an unknown bed. Two weeks later, a grandiose wedding was held. It garnered a lot of attention, some even going as far as to call it the wedding of the century. Congratulations were given to the beautiful couple that everyone believed was headed for a lasting relationship.

Months later, Uchiha Itachi was brought forth to the world, erasing all of Sasuke's doubts over paternity when he greatly resembled his father.

And they went through almost three years of a suffering marriage when Sasuke finally decided that it was enough and filed for divorce. Sakura signed the papers without a blink.

Itachi was the only thing he never regretted having from her.

Providing his son with a mother was easy. He had a lot of women after him and all Sasuke had to do was to choose, he'll be able to give Itachi what he wanted.

He could have done it years ago. But he didn't want to enter a relationship just because it was convenient; he wanted a partner that would accept him and his son equally, not just because he was Uchiha Sasuke.

The two of them had lived for 3 years without the permanent presence of a woman with the exception of his mother. Why would he want one now, Sasuke wondered.

He wanted to say no but when he looked at the young boy's eyes, he found out he could not. To ordinary people, it would appear that the boy didn't care if he got what he wanted because of his blank face.

But for an expert on the Uchiha mask, Sasuke knows that Itachi really wanted this one. And Sasuke was his father after all. Giving your child a bit of happiness that you know you won't be able to give him alone was a father's duty isn't it?

He was not the best father but he seeks his son's happiness, just like most parents out there.

Sasuke sighed and looked at Itachi. "We'll see to that."

With one of the boy's rare smile, he quickly moved towards his father and pulled the young man in a tight hug. Before Sasuke could react, Itachi was back to his seat in an instant.

Sasuke stood up and walked towards his son and ruffled his son's hair, an untypical action for an Uchiha. The boy blushed at the gesture which made Sasuke smirk. "Shisui's waiting for you in your room."

He walked back to his desk and returned to reading the stacks of papers pertaining to cases that he was handling.

"Thank you dad," Itachi stood up and bowed as a show of respect. He went to the door and got out of his father's study. The small steps became softer and softer until it faded.

The lawyer let out a long and problematic-sounding sigh.

He needed a lot of physical and mental preparation for the barrage of harassment, passes and molestations coming from those too much make-up applying, too little clothes wearing and way over the top clinging women.

**: : : : :**

BOOM!

"Deidara! Come back here you little~!" the school security guard chased a little blonde boy around the wide, fenced playground. The other boys and girls briefly paused on what they were currently doing to watch the scene with indifference, then merrily continued on their own activities. It was just part of their normal routine nowadays.

Itachi was sitting in a bench completely absorbed with his reading. Beside him was a redheaded boy toying with a weird looking puppet.

"You'll never catch me, you old man! Yeah!" Deidara zoomed past the two boys and dived in a conveniently thick bush. The panting middle-aged guard, who had been chasing the mini-terrorist in the making for thirty minutes, stopped in front of the boys.

"You guys saw that troublemaking friend of yours?"

The young Uchiha looked up from his book for a second before returning to reading. "I was absorbed in my reading, Mr. Guard. Sasori, you saw Deidara?" He flipped another page of the bound paper.

"Hiruko didn't see that loud boy," the redhead said, referring to his man/scorpion hybrid marionette.

The older man scratched his balding head and frowned. He wondered how exactly these two, well-mannered boy got along well with that pest of his life. He could not believe that one seemingly innocent five-year old blonde will be the cause of the decrease for his human life. And he thought kids were supposed to be sweet, cute and chaste little angels, not the follower of the devil whose sole mission was to set explosions everywhere.

"If you see him, tell me okay?" the two boys nodded without looking. The guard left and resumed his search.

The leaves behind the bench rustled and Deidara emerged with twigs, dried leaves and two ladybugs resting comfortably on his yellow-orange locks never bothering to shrug them off. The blond squeezed himself between the two, not receiving a single complaint even if he was bothering them.

"That stupid old man. My art would never be understood by the likes of him. Art is a blast!" he flailed his small arms wildly in both sides, his companions reflexively dodging.

Hanabi Deidara has an obsession with different kinds of explosives. He brings firecrackers to the school, which comprised mostly of really loud and dangerous ones. It was a mystery how he manages to get his hands on so many of them.

He was kicked out of different schools because of this behavior before arriving in Konoha Preparatory School. His seat mate was the eerily quiet Kairaishi Sasori, who only talks with his puppets and dolls. And he was also Deidara's first friend (only according to him since the redhead didn't reject or confirm it either).

Itachi closed his book and put it inside his bag. He certainly won't be able to finish reading anything with Deidara practically burning his ears in his art-talk.

"Hey Itachi." The small blonde turned his head to the right. "How's your mommy hunting coming along?"

"Dad's working on it." Itachi shrugged his shoulders and leaned his back on the bench's back support. He couldn't help the excitement running on his blood with the mention of the word 'mommy' though it didn't show on his face.

"Why do you want a mother for anyways? I mean, your life's all good with you being rich and a genius." His friend kept on inquiring. "It's not as if your life would be better with a mother in it. Mine certainly isn't."

"They tell you to brush your teeth, clean your room and eat your icky vegetables," Sasori commented. "Mama also keeps my puppets away from me."

The redhead was very antisocial, preferring the company of his wooden friends rather than his own breathing, talking and irritating kind. His parents transferred him from one school to another in hopes of curing his introvertedness. They even tried to enroll him in a special school for children with autism under a doctor's order. The plan was quickly abandoned when he spoke to the specialist clearly and directly looking the man into his eyes.

_"I rather spend my time alone with my human-like toys than spend it with a man like you who pretends to understand everything when you clearly don't have the knowledge to tell the difference between being autistic and wanting to be alone."_

His grandma, a puppet maker, enrolled him in Konoha and took charge of him. His life was a lot better now without the constant interference of his parents.

"My grandma's nicer. She lets me play with my puppets all the time and even makes me more puppets." The boy only talks a lot when the subject is about his beloved marionettes.

"Hn."

The two just looked at Itachi. They were already used to this reply. The three of them are friends after all, in whatever way you look at it.

"Well, time for me to set a time-delayed bomb for that guard." Deidara jumped off his seat and ran into the guardhouse. Sasori just continued disassembling Hiruko and changing its body parts.

Itachi simply waited for the bell to ring. It was still another ten minutes before all of them children enter that colorful, stuff-animal filled room of learning. He watched different pairs od parent and student enter the school through the gates.

A small, mousy woman with brown hair leaned her face down and kissed her little chubby companion.

"Be good at school dear." She hugged him and laid another kiss on the child's forehead. She waved and rode on her car.

The young Uchiha wondered how it felt to be embraced like that. All he got was hugs from his grandmother once a month when they visit the Uchiha state and from his Uncle Obito.

A mother's embrace was said to be the best kind of hug that there was. And Itachi wanted to know what made it the best, what a 'mom' meant in a child's life.

What was it like, to go home with her waiting for you with a smile and telling you 'welcome back'?

Itachi wanted to know.

**+tobecontinued+**


	2. Mommy Hunt o2

**Disclaimer:** The title Naruto and anything that has to with it belongs to** Masashi Kishimoto.** (But Uzumaki Naruto belongs to Uchiha Sasuke XP) But I do own the plot of this story.

So many reviewed o.O. But who am I to complain? Thank you very, very much for each of your thoughts and lovely words because they make so happy ^^

Naruto's male in this story. How can I call myself a Yaoi fan if I made him female? Screwing around is much more fun with two hot males around, preferably Sasuke screwing Naruto XD

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+Mommy Hunt o2+

**ooooo**

Naruto peeked from behind the large dresser that he was hidden. He scanned the outside through the store's clear glass window display and grinned when he saw that his 'abductors' were not around anymore. His 'abductors' were actually his co-workers, sent by his sadistic employer to catch him. The word was a bit exaggerated but with what his boss plans to do with his blonde employee were definitely the same as a mastermind kidnapper.

He removed the dust he got from hiding inside the antique shop. It was indeed a shop of old stuff from the genuine Victorian era porcelain sink to the old and thick dust lining the items. Even the shop owner, whom he could feel boring holes like a driller into his back with his glare, was ancient and looked like one of the three wise men.

"Thanks for hiding me pops." He waved while his slowly forming-a-hole back facing the old man. He needed to get out before his lungs and other internal organs fell outside his body.

"Thank you for your hiding patronage and please, at any costs, do not ever come back." He chuckled at the polite sarcasm.

"It's good to be free of those papers and guys." Naruto stretched his arms backward, forcing the stiff joints to 'pop' comfortably at the pressure. Three days had already passed (according to the new calendar from the antique shop) since he last saw sunlight and breathe actual oxygen from the trees. His sadistic employer dragged him straight from the airport and threw him inside that 2,000 square meter room of hell that was his workplace. Tons of blank papers were on his table along with his pencils and coloring materials. The woman could not even wait for him to eat his miso pork ramen at Ichiraku's before getting him to work and she even didn't ask if Naruto was willing.

His large windows were now decorated with sturdy iron grills and the door was even changed to heavy metals from wood to ensure that he did not at any cost escape. His meals and change of clothes were delivered to a 1'x1' slot on the door. In short, he was a prisoner in his own office. The old woman certainly took extreme precautionary measures to prevent his escape. Naruto has a little habit of slipping from work for twelve hours after all.

After three days of nothing but papers and pens for company, his inner free spirit decided that it was time for an escape. And when Naruto decides that his confinement was enough, it was enough.

He ran away. He was the great Uzumaki after all, Konoha's number one unpredictable prankster. Fooling his guards was nothing with his greatness. Believe it.

And so began the fox and two perfectly useless hounds chase. It had been four hours of endless running, hiding and fooling. He wiped his forehead on the sleeve of his orange shirt, exhaustion catching up to him. He needed to sit and recharge since he still haven't eaten this morning and barely slept in the past 72 hours. And he needed to avoid ramen-related stores too.

He walked around aimlessly and found a park across the street. The blonde was born in Konoha but he was not familiar at this side of the city though this was where he studied in college. It consisted mostly of modern buildings with a medley of specialty stores around.

The young man sat on a cemented seat obscured by the fountain which had a flame symbol in the middle. It was almost lunch time so there were a few people scattered on the place. It consisted of four housewives carrying their market baskets gossiping their lives and others, two drunkenly-wasted men carrying a bottle of sake and singing (butchering) an innocent song, and a couple of girls in their high school uniforms laughing so loud.

One of the girls spotted him, taking interest at the lone-eyed blonde who looked like a foreigner. Naruto forced a fake smile on his face when the student made a licking motion when she saw that the young man was looking at the group. She took it as positive sign and started advancing to where the blonde was seated, making Naruto's alarm signals alert him for the impending attack.

He was not one to judge solely on another person's looks because everyone has their own definition of style (he loves orange and he'll kill anyone who tells him that it's a horrid color). But he could not really stop cringing at the girl's 'fashion'.

Her hair was dyed in screaming magenta, layered with the right side reaching up to her neck and the left side up to her back. It would've probably worked out if she had not applied make-up thick as a clown and made her face into Frankenstein's with the piercings all over it. He remembered seeing about five glints of metal when she stuck out her tongue earlier.

To think that the things he did during his teenage years were classified by others as wild. He was tame then compared to the youths of this generation.

The blonde stood up and quickly moved out from his seat. He was not interested in supporting pedophilia even if the girl didn't appear like that. It was always adolescent girls that make their moves on him, not the matured and womanly type that he likes. Why was he so popular with teenagers anyway?

He kept on moving, not clearly seeing where he was going since anywhere was good as long as it was far, far away from the girl.

He reached the other side of the park but he wanted to turn back. Anywhere was good but not in this kind of anywhere.

The trees were much bigger and their leaves thicker, letting only a small amount of sunlight pass through the gaps between the foliage. The benches here were made of wood, well-maintained despite their obvious ripe, old age. The blonde felt that he was in a completely different time, a time when Konoha was still in its pure and bare forest form.

He would have appreciated if he was with someone. Naruto didn't like being alone in a place that was eerily quiet that made him think of ghosts in the middle of the day.

"Ghosts are not real," Naruto muttered, "They are simply figment of the human's over active and imaginative mind."

He jumped on up when he heard a weird noise coming from the deeper part of the forest. He swore he saw a blur of black, human-like figure run across the trees.

"Okay, maybe ghosts are real. Please Mr. Ghost, I don't mean any harm. How could I even harm you if you don't have any physical body? And I don't have any of those exorcism-thingies nor do I know any exorcism spell. I'm not even religious." The young man kept on rambling, apologizing to an unseen, inexistent more likely, force that he did not detect another presence in the vicinity.

"Mister, I think that the spirits would be more annoyed with your noisy act."

Naruto was caught off guard and did something that he would vehemently deny later and never admit in his life even if there was a witness.

He screamed like a girl.

**ooooo**

Women are the eighth wonder of the world.

Sasuke knew how complicated they are even for his knowledge and understanding to grasp. And he would never like to understand them either.

He was currently in the perfume section of the posh department store with his seventh (or was it ninth?) date. The woman had tried on five different scents earlier, making the lawyer sniff every single damn time and she was even trying more. His nose was already confounded with the variety of smells that he could not even tell if it was still functioning.

Before she could present her wrist again, the raven-haired man smoothly held her hand and made the lady smiled at him seductively. She moved her other arm and clung to the tall man's muscular upper limb.

The lawyer cleared his throat and turned to the saleslady who was also ogling him. "Miss, I would like you to wrap each perfume that the lady would like. Charge it on my account."

"Each perfume that she would pick?" The girl looked at him unbelievingly because each of the perfumes costs more than a regular worker's salary. The man raised his left eyebrow, handing her his debit card. Upon reading the name 'Uchiha', she quickly apologized and called the other two ladies. The three of them eyed the woman with Mr. Uchiha jealously.

"Oh, Sasu-chan, you made me so happy!" the woman cried happily and gave him a light smack on his lips. She turned to the three girls and sneered triumphantly at them, probably thinking that she got the eligible Uchiha hunk all for her own.

If other men lavish numerous gifts on their woman for her to feel appreciated and loved, it works opposite for the Uchiha men. They buy sets and sets of expensive gift for their dates as a consolation or mostly, to make them distracted from clinging to the man more. It was a sort of non-verbal sign for, "I don't like you so please enjoy the treats to yourself."

Sasuke was already tired of three days of date failures. He was willing to give her another try so he laid out the most important reason as to why he subjected himself to this torture.

"Would you mind living together with someone who already has a child?"

"As in a lover with a child of his own?" the woman asked, Sasuke nodding stiffly. She frowned and returned to pointing to different bottles of scents. "I'm not good at dealing with kids. I don't even want to have my own child, why would I take care of another's?"

She was too drunk with the idea of having Sasuke for her own that it was too late when she realized the impact of her answer. She gasped and turned to look at the colder, emotionless face.

"B-but I'm sure t-that your s-son is wonderful! I won't mind t-taking care…" she desperately said, feeling the coldness of those black eyes seeped into her bones.

Sasuke got his debit card, returned it to his wallet and left the tearful woman behind. The three salesladies looked at her now with a sneer. The head of them, the first girl in attendance, offered the woman an insult.

"Don't think of yourself too high because Uchiha-san dated you. Apparently, you wasted his time."

The lawyer entered his eye-catching black with red clouds Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren Roadsterand sat on the seat irritated. He felt a little calmer when he settled in his son's favorite car. Itachi even suggested the design concept, claiming that the car would be his when he turns eighteen.

Mikoto, the boy's grandmother, teased the little boy about his choice of inheriting a car that would be very old by then. The boy huffed and told her straightly:

_"Dad always chooses the best. And grandfather told me that Uchiha's never settle for the second best so I definitely want that Merceydes_**_."_**

Sasuke smiled at the memory of his son. Really, being a father was really hard especially if you came from a proud family with very high standards. He rarely told others how proud he was with Itachi but he knew the boy clearly understood.

With a renewed determination to make his son smile, he drove out of the parking lot and headed to his law firm in the city. He still got a three-meter list of women's names to go through. If he still hasn't found the perfect candidate by then, only his son would be able to pick the best choice.

Itachi knows best after all.

And how right Sasuke was.

**ooooo**

Itachi flinched when the blonde man in front of him shrieked like his girl classmates when they were surprised, pissed or simply wanted to scream for the sake of screaming. Clear, blue and expressive blue eyes turned to him. The boy thought that they were beautiful.

"Dad told me that men are not supposed to scream girlishly." He said.

The young man chuckled deeply, scratching his golden spikes of hair. The laughter was also visible in his eyes, his face still stretched with a wide grin.

"He must also remind you that it's rude to sneak upon strangers." The stranger placed both of his hands behind his head, eyes squinting at the boy. It reminded the young Uchiha of a fox especially with the whisker-like marks on his tan, round face. He wondered how the man got those.

"Hn."

"You suspiciously remind me of someone when you do that." The taller man frowned.

"Onii-san, aren't you supposed to be in your school? You'll never get to graduate from high school if you play hooky." Itachi looked at him.

"Wha-? How old do you think I am?" the blonde said with wide eyes. He seemed to be a little irritated at the boy's assumption. "I'm already 24 years old and I'm tall too."

"There are high school students taller than you. I know one. And you look very young too."

"You really remind me of that _bastard_." They were both stuck in a staring contest for just about 30 seconds when they were disturbed by two sets of growling stomach. Itachi blushed a bit, not quite used to being exposed to a stranger in such a way.

And the man simply laughed though the boy could discern that he was also embarrassed. That laughter was so alive that the corners of the boy's lips lifted up a bit. It was just a bit because Uchihas don't smile in front of strangers, no matter how loud and happy they sound and look.

"Sorry about that. I was a rude to you." The man moved from his position to a nearby bench and sat down. He removed the orange and black sling bag he was carrying and pulled out a lunch box.

Itachi discretely gulped when he saw the yummy-looking food. He still hasn't had lunch because he ran away from the driver that was sent to fetch and bring him to the main Uchiha mansion. He didn't want to attend the party for tonight that would sure leave his cheeks sore from the pinching, hair messy form the scuffling and face wet from the kisses that the woman and girls would give him. The curse of Uchiha fan girls.

"What are you waiting for?" the blonde looked at him questioningly. Itachi just stared blankly.

"Eat with me. You don't have any food with you right?" the young man impatiently said. "Don't worry, I'm not that suspicious and I prepared this lunch myself so there's no poison."

The boy doubted, thinking that his pride would not take it too well accepting help from a stranger nonetheless. But his pride would not let him eat. A man has to eat in order to survive. Besides, the food looked delicious.

"Itadakimasu!" they both dug in at the lunch.

"Luckily, I grabbed two pairs of chopsticks earlier," the blonde said even with his mouth full. The boy wondered what would his grandfather say when he discovers that his grandson was with this kind of person but decided to forget that. The blonde couldn't be that bad since he offered Itachi food.

The boy listened as the other told him different sorts of stories from his life. Like how he hated studying but still did it anyway, how he loved ramen and how he still loved a woman who didn't return his affection. Random facts about his friends and people he met abroad.

He blinked when the other man pushed the box of food towards him, half of the meal still intact. He looked up to the man questioningly.

"Children need to eat a lot to grow." The man smiled at him. "Finish your meal first before we exchange stories. You won't be able to concentrate with my babbles and next time it's your turn to talk."

Itachi nodded and ate silently, taking slow but big bites. The food was really good. When he finished, a sealed bottle of mineral water was placed in front of him, which he accepted gratefully.

After 10 minutes of rest, he was prodded miserably to talk by a pouting blonde. And surprisingly, he did.

But Itachi never told him about how smart he was or how rich and famous his family. With his smooth childish voice, he talked about his friends, Sasori with his dolls and Deidara with his bombs. The young man smiled when he told him how the guard chased the 'mini-terrorist' around the school grounds.

He even told him of how he enjoys spending time with his cousin Shisui and how his grandmother fussed over everything. And how proud he was of his father.

He didn't know until now how fun it was to talk with someone else. Talking and being with the blonde was fun.

"I think you still need to attend the party though. Your father might also hate parties but at least, you will be there with him and him with you." A ring tone interrupted the man from talking. He retrieved his orange flip-top phone with a fish-cake hanging on it.

"Old hag."

"YOU GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT, NARUTO-BRAT!"

Itachi rubbed his ears of the loud voice of the caller. The man, Naruto, mouthed 'sorry!' before standing up and walking away from the boy. He could still hear the woman's voice though Naruto was a bit far away from him.

"Sorry. My boss threatened to pulverize me to death if I don't return. Playtime for me's over." The blonde sighed and fixed his things. He held out his hand to Itachi, which the boy hesitantly accepted.

"I'll drop you first to your school—"

"Young Master!" a uniformed man shouted when they emerged from the park. He was panting and sweating, probably from looking for Itachi.

"Please do not run away like that again."

"Hn."

"Oh, here's your little master. He'll attend the party too." The blonde handed the boy to his driver. His phone rang again and he cursed when he opened it.

"Nice chatting with you!" Naruto waved and ran to the opposite direction. Itachi felt a little sad when he realized that he won't probably see the other man again. His driver ushered him towards the direction of the car when he heard a shout.

"Wait!" the young man returned. He got Itachi's hand and put something in his palm. It was the fishcake from his phone. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto, the same as this thing. What's yours?"

"Itachi."

"I hope we see each other again then, Itachi." He once again ran faster, swiftly avoiding the citizen's passing by.

Itachi smirked, a smirk identical to his father's.

Of course they'll see each other again very, very soon.

He liked Naruto a lot. He liked him so much that he would not mind talking with the man again.

**+TBC+**

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What a loyal father Sasuke is.

Naruto's not really short, he simply looks younger than his age in the story. Itachi just added the 'height isssue' for a little teasing.

Click that review button and drop your thoughts dears ^^**  
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	3. Mommy Hunt o3

**Disclaimer:** The title Naruto and anything that has to with it belongs to** Masashi Kishimoto.** (But Uzumaki Naruto belongs to Uchiha Sasuke XP) But I do own the plot of this story.

Thank you for those who reviewed, alerted and put this in their favorites. Thank you, thank you! I didn't expect this story to be welcomed warmly. It makes me happier and happier. ^^

So here's another chapter for all of you wonderful peepz C:

And a little shout-out to the lovely **TKCat**. For helping me fenced those rabid plot bunnies. I'll be making my yaoi-domination speech soon, I hope xD

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+Mommy Hunt o3+

**ooooo **

Sasuke glared at the smirking man donned in a dirty-white suit. The other was obviously enjoying the lawyer's misery with being surrounded with the circle of young women of the high-society. He was, once again, being subjected to torture in one of the parties that the wily, old head of the Uchiha clan throws every now and then though he himself was not present.

The raven-haired man thinks that Madara, the Uchiha patriarch, was a sadist to his own family. The old man knows that a few of his relatives are allergic to mingling with other people, especially Sasuke but he still keeps on doing them. Stupid old man.

He scanned the wide hall, looking for a specific head. He turned to the direction where he heard giggles. Itachi was stiffly standing in the middle of his own age-group fan girls. His son was faring no better but the boy was tolerating it well.

The father looked at the boy's eyes. They seemed normal but when they look like that, the little Uchiha's mind was far away from reality. And Itachi smiled, which made the girls go into more fan-girl mode. Something really good must have happened if it made his son smile.

"Excuse me ladies," a deep, baritone voice interrupted them."I need to have a chat with Uchiha-san, if you don't mind." The ladies parted and gave way to the newcomer.

Once they were both out of earshot, the raven-haired glared at his companion. "Would you do me a favor and go die right this instant?"

"Is that how you treat your savior Sasuke?" the businessman asked with another smirk on his face. Sasuke wanted to gouge the man's unnerving, pupil-less eyes out of their sockets but violence would do both of their families no good.

Hyuuga Neji was the vice president of the Byakugan Telecommunications, one of the leading communication companies in the continent. The Hyuugas were a very distant relative of the Uchihas. They both acknowledge each other; after all, having a very powerful and influential relation both benefited each of them.

Neji was somewhat the closest to what Sasuke could call a friend. But right now, he'd rather be involved with no one than be with someone who enjoys his suffering.

He took a glass of wine from one of the passing uniformed waiters. He slowly sipped the blood-red beverage, savoring the fine taste achieved by proper storing and aging of the wine. The guests were scattered around the grandiose hall. Some were chatting, others eating to their deaths and a few were in the emo corner, contemplating about the world in general. How he envied those who were in the dark corner.

His attention was drawn by a tug on his arm. He looked down and saw Itachi with his cousin Shisui.

"Good evening Dad, Uncle Neji," the boy greeted and bowed. His little companion also did the same.

"What's that Itachi?" the Hyuuga pointed at the chain dangling from the young boy's coat pocket. They all looked at the swirl with pointed sides.

"Naruto*" both the adults said at the same time with a huge difference in the tone of the voice used. Sasuke sounded as if he had huge thorn stuck in his throat while Neji's was full of fondness and affection. Itachi lifted one eyebrow in curiosity, examining the reactions and putting it in his mental drawer for future use.

"Uncle Sasuke," the other child interrupted them in their far-away thoughts, "Could we go to the playroom? Dad told me that we could if you also said yes." Shisui smiled at them. He was the same age as Itachi, with windblown black hair and black eyes, one of the few Uchiha who had a cheerful demeanor.

"Go on. Just come down at 9:00 pm, you both still have school in the morning." The two boys nodded. Shisui grabbed his cousin's hand and dragged him away, completely avoiding the girls who were about to launched on them.

"How did your dates come along?" the businessman took a sip from his own wine, eyes locked on his raven-haired friend's face. Sasuke frowned at the question.

"None of those 'decent and nice ladies' from the list didn't turn out from as nice or half-decent as you told me that they were." He eyed the other man suspiciously. Neji put his glass down before simply shrugging his shoulders.

"At least they were decent and nice. When they were not with you."

Sasuke rubbed his temples to relieve the onslaught of a possible headache with the mention of dates. He still had two dates to attend to tomorrow and each time, it's getting worst. Why was he doing this again? Oh, for his son's mother-wish. His unbreakable limit was reaching its unbreakable point with all the attempts his dates did to impress (that certainly didn't) him.

What happens if the unbreakable was broken? There's hell and pure evil, evil that was Sasuke.

"Sasuke."

He turned to the source of the voice. A handsome yet stern-looking, middle-aged man wearing a gray traditional hakama stood there. The younger man was certain that the clothing has the clan's symbol embroidered on its back. Neji had excused himself to go talk with another acquaintance.

If the lawyer also had an acquaintance that he could be with this moment. The downsides of having socializing problems.

"Father."

Looks like his headache won't be going away for a long while.

**ooooo**

"Baa-chan…" Naruto whined pitifully. His right hand refused to moved, fingers stiffed and numbed from all his hard work for the last twenty-one hours. He didn't even slept a wink with his boss personally seeing, guarding, him. It was his punishment for skipping yesterday.

"Aren't we suppose to be related or something?" the blonde continued, using his pitiful puppy-eyes stare at the older, busty blonde woman in pigtails.

"Stop whining. You didn't do much." She blew a stray strand of hair from her face.

"Didn't do much? I did a week's worth of stupid, fucking work!" the young man yelled with his hands in the air for more emphasis. Once blank bond papers were filled with colorful images of different designs, scattered among the room. Papers were on his desk, some on the floor and others were taped on the wall.

Tsunade walked to his desk and started gathering the finalized projects. "We need the models for these designs the next month.

"You're a follower of Marquis de Sade, you sadistic old, actually wrinkled but keeps on going to cosmetic clinics to retain you— OUCH!" the man dropped on the floor. He winced when his waist and hips, rigid from straight sitting the past hours, bounced when his ass met the floor. He rubbed his head that was smacked by the woman's iron fist.

"Are you sure you're related to my mom? You are wired differently."

"Shut up or I'll extend your punishment."

"Sorry!"

Naruto's stomach grumbled from the lack of ramen. He even surprised himself that he lasted for four days without eating the wondrous delicacy that could be compared to the foods for the gods gracing his stomach. Maybe that explains his inability to escape this proffice (prison-office).

Shaking her head, Tsunade collected the papers and piled them in a neat stack. Honestly, she'd rather be in her private office drowning in many bottles of sake in the hospital than play jail guard to her slacking grand nephew. But work required for her to do actual working, with her black-haired apprentice urging her mercilessly.

"Get out before I change my mind and let you not eat ramen for another day." She said, clearly reading Naruto's mind. The latter scuttled quickly, grabbing his bag and running out for the open door for his freedom and ramen.

"What a brat. Where else would you get your irresponsibility but from me? We are family after all." She yawned and checked the time. It was already two o' clock in the afternoon. She needed her sake and beauty sleep, which are her secrets for a young face, not that modern cosmetic surgery rubbish. And her natural beauty of course.

**ooooo**

Shisui smiled at the woman wearing a white shirt and jeans with sunglasses. She looked so strict with her frowning face. He reached and held the legal-sized plain brown envelope she handed over. He in turn slipped a small piece of paper in her hand. He bowed and thanked her in earnest. She left with a big smile, finishing business and obtaining a vital piece of information for her personal gain.

The small boy walked until he reached the pedestrian lane, waiting for the green light of the stoplight for walking. A few minutes, he crossed the road and continued walking for 10 minutes before stopping in front of a 10-floor building. He entered, rode the elevator and got off at the seventh floor.

"Itachi!" Shisui ran towards his waiting cousin, waving the envelope excitedly. Itachi stood up from his seating position in the floor's corridor seat, meeting up with his hyped-up best friend. They both entered the penthouse where two small boys were waiting.

"Deidara, thank you for leaving the living room intact." Itachi sat on the bean bag and crossed his legs. He mentally sighed in relief that the blonde boy left his bombing antics to the areas of the school and somewhere else. He didn't care much about the explosions as long as it doesn't happen within his house.

The redhead threatened Deidara that he would never talk to him in his rare human-talking interactions proved effective.

"You better have something to even with me not using any explosives here." The blonde boy was still pouting and sulking over his explosive-deprivation. Sasori looked at the blonde blankly before tossing aside his puppet, the third kazekage. He eyed the envelope, feeling a bit of excitement with the contents and his friend's plans.

The four usually met up in each one's houses, either to play or study or simply hang out. Sasuke trusted Itachi to be responsible enough to be left alone in the penthouse. The boy used this to his advantage today.

His dad was on one of those dates again. Even if Sasuke didn't tell, his son knew that it was like torture for his father to go out with a woman. The older man has a hard time dealing with them so Itachi was taking things on his own little hands, along with his friends.

"Let's get down to business." Itachi's eyes were twinkling with mischief. Shisui grinned and ripped the packet roughly. Information spilled out on the floor, in written and photo forms. Each of the small hands grabbed what they could, reading and checking out the datas.

"Isn't this illegal?" Deidara asked, lifting a picture with a man eating ramen. He looked through more of the pictures of the same man in different locations and doing different activities. "I feel like we're stalking or something. Yeah."

"Basically, this is stalking. Only in the guise of private investigation." Shisui said. He put the paper he was holding down on the floor. "Well as long as we have the legal mumbo jumbo, we're safe. And we're kids; no one would be that suspicious."

"Shisui, I only asked for his contact information. Not his weight, height, zodiac sign and hobbies. What did you pay the detective anyway?"

The other Uchiha smiled, his eyes squinting. "Just another piece of information. Kakashi's cell phone number to be exact."

"It sure helps to have a dad that owns a detective agency." The small blonde picked a piece of paper and handed it over the raven-haired boy. Itachi scanned it and took the cellular phone lying beside him. He dialed the number; he put the handset on his ear. It began to ring, signaling that his call was being connected.

"Do you think he likes puppets?" The quiet redhead looked at photo of the happy-looking blonde holding an orange stuffed frog with tattoo markings.

"I'll teach him the art of explosion!" Deidara's arms shot upwards. He yelled 'Boom!' with a loud voice. The other Uchiha laughed at his friend's antics, amused at how Itachi was friends with a loud child.

"He would be Itachi's, not ours." He mentioned. The three looked at the glaring boy on the cushy seating. They turned silent and waited for the line to connect.

"Hello…"

**ooooo**

"It's really like a dream to be with you, Sasuke-kun!" the redheaded woman giggled. She fixed her eyeglasses, looked at her handsome date, blushed and then giggled again. If this was a dream, she'd rather be stuck in a coma and be with her dreamboat in eternity.

_More like a nightmare._ The lawyer cringed at the sensation of hands wrapping around his arm.

He was with Oto Karin, a female his father introduced to him last night. The girl sneered at him in first sight.

_"So you're the famous Sasuke-kun, eh?"_

He was relieved to meet someone who didn't go fan girl on him. His father left them alone in for the night. They didn't talk that much, just some exchange about their jobs. Karin was a chemical analyst, heading a research for more effective pain-killers without the side-effects. It was targeted for those who experienced chronic pain attacks due to accidents.

He was impressed with the woman's professionalism and knowledge. He didn't mind her. But somewhere in the middle of their conversation, when the crowd was thinning out, she started to give him flirty looks and seductive smile. This went on for a few minutes before his father approached them again. She returned to her earlier mode.

He was about to fetch Itachi when his father cornered him.

_"I think that girl will be a great help to us."_

Translation: Go out with that girl and if turns out okay, marry her.

So here he was, strolling around the town with Karin, whom he was suspicious of having a split personality. One moment she was all serious and dislikes him and then next, she turns to a freaking clingy woman.

His father and his business-based relationships.

"Sasuke-kun, I want to eat ice cream!" She dragged him and left him outside the ice cream parlor. Sasuke crossed his arms and waited for the woman to get out. He hoped she wouldn't have the grand idea of buying him an ice cream too. He hated sweets.

Out of boredom, he looked at the ramen shop across the street. He was reminded of his son's fish cake accessory and a person who loved ramen a lot. A ramen obsession actually.

A green item dropped on the floor. It was a frog, a frog-shaped wallet. Who uses something as childish as that? He smirked at the childish choice. He saw the person, an adult, leaned down and picked it up but before he could see the probably owner of the money-bag, Karin got out of the shop.

He sighed softly, seeing that the redhead was only carrying a single big cone with different flavors on top of it. They began walking again, his boredom once again setting in. Too bad he didn't see the interesting owner.

He groaned at the lopsidedness of his thought flow. He must be so bored to even think of that.

**ooooo**

Naruto was slurping his ramen messily when he felt his phone vibrate. It must be another call from the old witch with more news of work. With one hand, he dug for his phone in his bag but his frog purse fell out in the floor.

"Shit." He leaned down from his seat and picked it up the floor. He was distracted when he heard a bell ring from the ice cream parlor across the street. A redheaded woman with glasses carrying a big cone of multi-colored frosted treat came out and quickly sauntered towards the person waiting for her. She looked happy, looking at the tall man who was probably her boyfriend.

The blonde's nose wrinkled when he saw the spiked-up black hair of the man. He had his back on Naruto so the young man was not sure of the man's appearance. But that hair looked really familiar, in a bad way. He cursed when he heard his phone's ring tone, remembering the call. He flipped it open; an unlisted number was registered on the screen.

He pressed the answer button.

"Hello?" He tipped his ramen bowl to his mouth, swallowing the broth of his miso pork.

He heard a clicking sound before the other line answered.

"Hello Naruto-san? This is Itachi."

He choked on the soup with surprise. He coughed a few times, the liquid almost entering his breathing system. How the hell did the boy get his number?

"Could we see each other again?"

**+TBC+**

**

* * *

**Naruto's job is hush-hush for now. But it has a lot to do with artistic stuff, I guess :P

I'll be working on the next chapter for my other MC fic.

Reviews are welcome very, very much! :)


	4. Mommy Hunt o4

Disclaimer: The title Naruto and its characters belong to **Masashi Kishimoto**. (But Uzumaki Naruto belongs to Uxhiha Sasuke XP)

Sorry for the delay. This is my longest chapter so far so I hope you enjoy ^^

* * *

+Mommy Hunt o4+

**ooooo**

"You're one crafty kid."

Naruto took a sip from his strawberry and melon shake, his thoughts running around on why there were no ramen-flavored beverages. The world would be a much happier place if everything would just have the word 'ramen' in it, especially for him. He was snapped from his imagining a world full of the noodle meal made him inwardly drool and wished that he was at Ichiraku's right now when the waitress carrying their orders arrived, reminding him why he was in the outside table on a café in the first place.

It was all unwanted courtesy of one, innocent-looking five year old boy that he had met two days prior.

The said boy simply smirked and shrugged his shoulders at him. Itachi sliced his clubhouse sandwich into smaller pieces and lined them neatly on his plate. He drank his orange juice first before proceeding in chewing the bite-sized cut of the sandwich. Naruto's eyebrows twitched at the almost obsessive-compulsive ritual. The blonde continued on sipping his drink and chewed at the straw tip at the same time; observing his little companion, more in boredom than curiosity, eat his snack slowly and surely.

The boy was good-looking and would surely grow up to be a handsome man with a multitude of fan girls on his feet. Heck, he was even sure that he already has girls lining up to be the future followers of the child. He was well mannered, with a bit of mysterious aura of one who grew up in affluence. Naruto was not particularly fond of the snobby and stuck-up upper-classes that he had been in contact with though he did knew a few that was the opposite.

He squinted, noting the huge resemblance between Itachi and that _bastard_ from his college and much younger days, in both the physical and personality aspects . Maybe they were related? He hoped to hell that they were not since he was getting fond of being friends with the boy.

"By the way, Itachi, how did you get my number?" the blonde rested his chin on the palm of his hand and lifted the straw with his mouth, playing with it.

"When you have the right connections, you could get anything you want," Itachi replied with another smirk on his face. He brought another piece of the sandwich to his mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he watched the man opposite him with seemingly blank eyes.

Naruto could not help but be a bit perturbed at the choice of the words for the answer. It sounded like the child had contact with underground organizations that would do his bidding at any moment. The glint in the boy's eyes told him something else; that Itachi was leading him with only a few of what the child intends to do with him. He hoped it would not anything majorly evil and worst, it has him in it.

"I might have been doing something important instead of having a nice snack with you today. Like working or attempting to do my work, for example."

"But you're not."

"I could be if I was not here." The blonde insisted while chewing on his straw. He won't be losing a verbal battle against a five-year old no matter how smart was the boy was.

"If you were, you would just probably running away like what you were doing the first time we met." The raven-haired simply said.

"I had a perfect excuse on why I did that last time aside from slacking off."

"You're straying from the topic, Onii-san. You're not doing anything so you're here with me, end of discussion."

It was scary how a two-day old acquaintance and someone nineteen years his junior could read him perfectly. But he refused to back down.

"I could be an honest and hard-working employee for a day, you never know."

"Hn."

And there was that 'hn' thing too. When does one's similarity with another begin and where does it end?

Naruto pouted childishly and turned his attention on messily gobbling his sandwich which had been neglected for a few minutes. He became conscious of his barbaric-like eating when he felt the curious stare of the boy. He slowed down and tried to eat decently.

Speaking of work, it slipped his mind to send the old lady a notice that he would not be in the office today. He could not even send a text message since his phone was currently dead to the world because he forgot to charge it last night. Well it's not as if the hag would listen to him; sooner or later, her evil henchmen would be sniffing around for his location, which they were really good at.

"You told me that we could see each other again," the boy drank his juice before continuing, "So here we are, seeing each other again."

"Your 'seeing each other again' was a lot earlier on what I had on my mind."

The boy faintly blushed, embarrassed of appearing too eager to meet with Naruto again. He found the reaction cute and amusing. Well, he didn't totally resemble the bastard if he was capable of being embarrassed. Sasuke would just smirk at him and call him 'dobe' if they were in that situation. Or more likely, he'll ignore the blonde. There was too much of a bad blood between him and that man to immerse himself in memories that would just make him depressed. At least, he had a very pleasant company today.

The similarities were just a matter of chance. Coincidence could be very funny at times. But he wouldn't be able to humor himself about where coincidence shall be leading him.

They both had finished their snacks so he called the teenage waitress to settle their bill. He already had retrieved his frog-shaped purse to pay her when he heard a small sound. He looked at the girl, who was trying to hide her snickering at the weird choice of his wallet. He was about to throw her a scathing comment when Itachi interrupted him.

"Miss, we would appreciate if you closed your mouth and attend to our bills properly." The boy was held his own black leather wallet, looking at the girl with a very impatient stance. The attendant muttered a 'sorry!' before handing them the receipt.

"I'm going to pay since I'm older."

"But I invited you so I should pay. Its customary." Itachi stubbornly said, his face clearly stating that he won't be accepting no for an answer.

Naruto sighed. The kid sure was stubborn and was used to having his way. It was fine with him seeing the kid was more than capable of paying even though he was a kid. Age doesn't really matter when it comes to responsibility if you are more than able to do it but he was not going to let Itachi shoulder all the load since they both ate.

"Okay but let's split it in half since we didn't clearly talk about who's paying. Okay?"

They handed the exact amount of the bill to the girl. The blonde's attention was caught by the accessory that looked so out of place with the wallet of the boy.

"You're using that?"

"Of course. It was given to be used right?" Itachi said.

"Yeah." He fondly eyed the fishcake imitation. "I really liked that too."

The raven-haired boy gripped the ornament before suspiciously looking at the blonde. "You're not going to take it back aren't you?"

"Huh? No!" Naruto shook his hands wildly in the air for more emphasis of the 'no'

"I gave it to you so its yours. That used to be my magical lucky charm. It kept me from getting harmed.

The boy looked at him doubtfully. Since Itachi was smarter and more mature than his counterparts, his logic prevailed more than his childish inclinations to magic and stuff. For an 'intelligent' person's mind refused to believe in illogicality and unreasonableness of something like dragons and princes in fairy tales. For him, it didn't hurt to suspend disbelief and immerse yourself in a world of fantasies like a child. It was a little sad to see a five-year old doubting the charms of magic.

Childhood was a precious part of a person's life. It's the stage where you appreciate the miracles of everyday life because of your innocence. That's why he was still a kid at heart, always believing in the wonders of life since he had lost that when he was a child.

"Are these scars?" Naruto was startled when he sense a soft, warm hand against his cheek, feeling his slightly etched whisker marks. He stiffened at the sensation.

These…were the ugly remnants of his childhood. A hideous past that he'd rather remain in the dark and forget that it ever happened but he could not because of these reminders. If he had a choice, he'd prefer having scars from accidents or from an operation than to have these on his face. But he was never presented with the chance to choose.

_"Naruto!" she screamed._

_"You be good boy, Naruto-kun. Be a good boy and take this pain."_

He was deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice the worried look on his companion's face.

**ooooo**

Itachi frowned when he noticed Naruto's blue eyes blanking out in his regression. It looked like he had touched a very sensitive topic though he only asked in curiosity. There was no way that those whisker marks were natural unless they were tattooed.

"Naruto-niisan? Onii-san?" he called but there was no response. His voice was getting more and more desperate as the blonde's eyes became duller and duller.

"NARUTO!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry about zoning out." The blonde grinned at him though it was not as bright as it used to be. The raven-haired felt a jerk on his chest for seeing that sad and pained in the man's look. He didn't want to be the cause of something painful. He felt the corner of his eyes pricked.

"Hey, I'm fine." Naruto smiled reassuringly at the child, noticing that his mood upset him. "I got these because I didn't bring that when I went out when I was young. My mother gave that to me so you better take care of it, okay?" He said in a gentle manner.

The boy nodded earnestly, holding the accessory closer. It was enough that it came from Naruto that he'll care for it well though the knowledge that it also came from the man's mother made it more precious. He was considering of making it into a necklace so he would not lose it. He grinned when it dawned upon him when the fishcake imitation also came from his 'mommy' in a sense. He'll believe in its lucky effects then.

"Come on, I feel like walking around town today." The blonde stood up noisily from his chair whereas Itachi carefully stood up from his seat and fixed it back to its proper placing. The older man stopped suddenly and addressed the boy with a question.

"Don't you have classes today?"

"I did but I told the teacher I'm not coming."

"Huh? You just told me that playing hooky would not make you graduate." Naruto teased.

"I'm smart. It's not as if my IQ will be lessened if I didn't go to classes." Itachi simply said. His father allow him to be absent in his schooling since he believed that it was not healthy to be studying every day. He knew the boy was responsible enough for that.

"Whatever."

They resumed walking. Itachi liked the fact that the blonde didn't coddle and treated him as a kid as the other adults do. Somehow, he knew that the man would not tolerate if he made mistakes but would leave him to his own devices. It was kind of cool to be with someone who was not-so adult like.

"Naruto-sama!"

"Oh crap!"

They both looked at the source of the voice and saw four black-clad men with shades. They reminded him of the bodyguards that he saw in movies that he watched together with Shisui. He hoped that they were guards and not goons though. Wait, Naruto-sama? He looked at the taller man, who didn't strike him as a person with a suffix -sama on the end of his name. Naruto was good-looking but he looked to casual and relaxed to be a rich man.

"Naruto-sama, please wait!"

"Itachi, let's run!"

Naruto dragged the confused boy by his hand and hastened his steps. The raven-haired boy was left with no choice but to follow, his small steps falling along with his companion. He could hear the set of heavy steps following them and they broke out in a full-course running.

The blonde, seeing that Itachi could follow well enough, let his hand go. They entered a set of alleys, took dizzying turns, and climbed slopes of roads with the guys still tagging along them.

"They're a persistent bunch, aren't they?" Naruto panted the words out. Itachi concentrated on running though he still has no idea why he was still running along beside the blonde. He'll ask later but right now, he needed to help Naruto escape. It seems the man has issues with being chased around whether it was work-related or not.

The guys in the MIB outfit were professionals, never losing their sight on the blonde target. The escapees would lose them for a few minutes but they'll return eventually. Their persistency made the child wonder exactly how many times did Naruto run off? If this keeps on, they would both get tired and the four would catch up to them in no time then. What they need was a foolproof plan.

"Do you have a plan?" Itachi turned to the blonde man who was already sweating.

"Yeah. We're already doing it. Running, that is."

He figured out as much. He sighed and racked his brain for a less-sweatier and riveting tactic aside from running. Itachi looked at their pursuers who was nowhere in sight. At least, he'll have a few minutes to start planning. They were reaching the centre of Konoha when he saw the blonde mannequin in the display window of the clothing store. He looked at the taller man and back at the mannequin, and then he smirked. The perfect plan just entered his mind; it was good that the men didn't see his face clearly. He'll just have to worry about Naruto.

He yanked the older man inside the department store and entered the clothing section. There was so little time and too many things to do. He went straight into the clothing rack, scanned for the specific design and pulled it out. He went around collecting more things he needed to complete it, never minding the weird stares from the customers and the salesladies. He was going to pay for these so he didn't care about their thoughts. He returned to where the blonde was and shoved the objects to him and towed him around, looking for a stall.

"Itachi? You know what these things are, right?" Naruto said, finally getting out of his confusion. "Those evil guys will find us soon so let's get out of here!"

"Yes. It would help if you entered a stall right now and get changed with those." Itachi smirked cockily, obviously having fun with this. The blonde gave him an exasperated look.

"Are you insulting me?"

"No. If you want to lose them, do as I say. They're professional guards right? We'll be both too tired if we keep on running."

He pushed the man inside the dressing stall without further ado.

"I hate you right now. Who's going to pay for this expensive stuff?" a muffled voice asked. He ignored it and went into the needed locations to complete this charade.

"Miss, could you bring me to the cosmetics area?" he posted a fake sweet smile to the saleslady he approached. With his Uchiha charms at work, the lady smiled at him and courteously attended to the little boy.

"Of course. Will it be for your little girlfriend?" she asked jokingly. The boy wanted to roll his eyes at the idiotic question. He was a child so obviously he didn't have any of that girlfriend-thing. Adults who treated him with the mentality that he was a child appeared so stupid. Really, it was tiring but he still didn't have what he wanted so he'll play along.

"No, it's for my…mommy." He grinned with the name. "She has a date with my dad so I wanted to help her out."

The brown-haired woman smiled at him. "How sweet! I know she'll appreciate it. Come on, tell me a bit about her skin tone, allergies and preferred brand. I'll even apply it for her because you went out your way to help her."

_I don't know how much he'll appreciate the gesture._

The raven-haired boy followed the woman, answering her inquiries with the best of his knowledge. He was going to have a lot of fun with this one.

**ooooo**

"It's hard being a father." Neji sighed as he watched the black-haired, pale boy humming while he was drawing on his sketch pad again. He drank his iced tea and refilled it once again. Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes at his friend's worried face.

"Then get married and get a mother for him." Sasuke said.

"If you could raise Itachi without any help, I could also raise Sai. If he talks to me, that is."

Sai was oblivious to his adoptive father's glance. He was too absorbed with his art to care anyway. Neji adopted him two years ago when he was rescued from an orphanage that was actually an underground assassination organization that raises orphans to be weapons. The seven-year old child was emotionally stunted even though the businessman tried hard for him to open up. The damage caused to Sai was more on his social behavior. He always smiled that fake smile towards others.

"Hn." Sasuke took a drink from his ice tea. Itachi was a normal Uchiha child so it was not hard raising him but Sai was a different case. He didn't have any idea why the Hyuuga adopted a child in the first place anyway. His attention was caught by four men in black patrolling around the grounds of the mall, looking all around. One approached them.

"Excuse me; did you notice someone running around here? One blonde man and a small child." He asked in a technical tone. They shook their heads and the man politely excused himself.

"Are they chasing those naked, dickless aliens like in the movies, Neji?" the boy asked without looking from what he was doing.

"No Sai. There are no aliens and please defer from using 'dickless'." Neji sighed. The raven-haired man smirked at his friend's problematic face. "You're a useless father-figure, aren't you?"

The businessman glared at the lawyer. "Shut up."

"But aliens are obviously dickless since they don't wear any clothes or underwear. They're not ashamed of parading around without their penises, aren't they?" Sai continued, this time looking at the two adults with a fake smile on his face.

"Should I say like father, like son?"

"Sasuke, do me a favor and go die this instant." Neji reiterated his words back from the party. The young lawyer was never going to pass the chance to get back and irritate the other man. Revenge is sweet. He was about to make another annoying remark towards the man when he noticed a familiar figure walking around.

"Itachi?"

It was indeed his son with a blonde woman in tow. What does this mean? The boy told him earlier that he was going to see a friend but he didn't know that it was a woman. He stood up and walked towards the pair.

He was in for the surprise of his life

**ooooo**

Naruto was wearing a dress. He was in a fucking woman's dress, in fucking girly shoes and in a long blonde wig. He was even wearing a make-up, for crying out loud!

He was a _woman_ with a dick; seeing his reflection didn't help at all.

"You look pretty, _mom_."

Itachi was smirking. That god-damn annoying smirk makes him want to walk out of this store in his birthday suit.

"You really look beautiful ma'am! I'm sure your husband would bring you to the nearest closed room and…" the brunette saleslady giggled and winked suggestively at Naruto.

"Why-!" the boy tugged at his hand warningly and smiled at the lady. "I'm sure dad would be so proud of hi—her. Thanks to you, of course."

"Oh no! Your mother was already good-looking. The make-up and the clothes just highlighted it more." The woman said in a humble voice. "Though her built is taller and larger than the usual customers. It must be of your foreign blood, ma'am."

_Bitch, I'm a man so I'm larger than a woman. Stupid day._

He wanted to cry for his masculinity when he saw his reflection in the floor-to-floor mirror. He knew that he was not that handsome but looked decent enough to get girlfriends and dates. His dates and his friends told him that he was more on the cute and boyish side because of his eyes and young-looking face.

He was wearing a little black empire-waist dress with a pink belt that reached above his knee. His lean and muscular arms were well hidden by the long sleeved beige bolero. His legs were hidden by black stockings paired with white and silver ballet shoes. He tearfully looked at his once-flat chest that now had two well shaped bumps, courtesy of the brassiere and the silicon inserts the boy gave him. He was even put in a wig tied in pig tails and his scars were skillfully concealed in the well-done make-up.

The mirror showed him a frowning yet attractive woman. It didn't help boost his ego since the attractive was followed by a woman. It just made his manly ego deflate more.

"Thank you for coming!" the woman handed a card to the young boy and bowed. Itachi carried the paper bag that contained his original clothes, clasping his hand and pulling him out of the store. He felt uncomfortable with the swishing of the skirt and the sensation of the stockings rubbing against his legs.

"I hate you." He glared at the boy's back.

"I'm helping you. They won't recognize you in that outfit so bear with it until we get out and you change back."

The blonde man sighed and sulkily followed the boy around. He could feel the stares of the people in the mall. He never felt so conscious in his life.

"She's so pretty! You think she's a model?"

"Do you think she looks a bit awkward walking all hunched like that?"

"You stupid man! Stop drooling at her!"

"Is that handsome boy her son? Of course, he'll look good with a mother like that."

The boy spoke up when he heard the comments. "People are so shallow, only judging by looks. I really get sick with that superficiality.

His annoyance slowly vanished and he straightened his posture. The kid sure was early in understanding on how fickle the humans were. Itachi understood that well because he came from a rich family, surrounded by those kinds of person while growing up.

"They are, aren't they?" Naruto said softly. He could relate well since he had been exposed to those criticizing stares when he was younger. Being the son of a late famous clothes designer and a large company-holder 'helped'. That's why he avoided that kind of life, straying away from his family name.

"But I do agree that you looked good, mommy." Itachi said with an amused glint on his eyes. But understanding that didn't help erase his smugness. The blonde wanted to call him the 'mini-bastard.'

"Itachi, what are you doing here?"

What.

The.

Fuck.

He was very familiar with that voice. He would not forget that suave and baritone voice even after a gazillion years of his life. Itachi ran towards the man, never noticing how the blonde was frozen in his space.

"Dad."

Naruto was not ready to meet him yet. _Please let my hearing be wrong. Or let the ground open up and swallow me into inexistence. I could be Satan's bitch for all I care, just don't let him see me._

"This is my friend, the one who gave me the accessory."

The boy led the tall and handsome man in front of him. His pleas were in naught since he was face-to-face with the bastard. He refused to let his gaze part from the shiny, tiled floor of the establishment.

Uchiha Sasuke.

**+TBC+**

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Naruto's a knockout in his sexy no jutsu ne? xDD I really wanted to write a scene where he cross dresses and the perfect time came up. I have a thing for men who looks good in dresses, especially in anime. They just look so good BD

And so, drop those reviews ^^


	5. Mommy Hunt o5

Disclaimer: The title Naruto and its characters belong to **Masashi Kishimoto**. (But Uzumaki Naruto belongs to Uchiha Sasuke XP) I only own teh plot because I'm poor.

Thank you for those people who reviewed last chapter :) And those who alerted and put this to their favorites!

This one is mainly about Sasuke and Naruto's past. Enjoy ^^

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+Mommy Hunt o5+

**ooooo**

As they got out of the women's boutique, Itachi could not help but to feel satisfaction and a bit of pride with how well Naruto's feminine disguise worked. Naruto's round, slightly angular face and boyish looks were quite more than alright when he was a male though his appearance is not as striking or as handsome as Sasuke or Neji, he was still nice to look at. And with Itachi's very unwanted help, those features also appeared more than fine in a woman's clothing. By toning down the blonde's masculine features –hiding his lean and muscular arms in long sleeves and covering his long trim legs that had more hair than a woman's with black stockings –helped in the task of hiding his identity. The saleslady's skillful application of the makeup, outlining the features to suit a more feminine profile, contributed.

And Naruto turned out to be one hell of an attractive woman that Itachi somewhat created. Naruto didn't appreciate it one bit.

"Could I at least remove the makeup? My face is itching." Naruto tried to rub the offending material off his face but the boy halted the action by pulling the hand and holding it in his small but strong grip.

"They would easily recognize you with your whisker marks. No." The younger male held the calloused hand tighter.

The older of the two scowled at the murmurs coming from the people they were passing by in the department store. What was wrong with them? But asking that question would also lead to questioning what he was doing in a dress and why he had let a five year old convinced him to do so. So, what was wrong with him?

Itachi looked at the blonde whose back had even hunched lower and frown got deeper. Naruto kept on tucking his pigtails behind his ear but abandoned it after they refused to go in place. He almost fell on the floor when he tripped for the umpteenth time with his flat shoes. It was a good thing the boy didn't choose the heeled pumps the lady gave to him earlier.

Naruto felt so exposed with the space between his legs even though he was still wearing his boxer shorts. "I feel so exposed with this short dress," he voiced his complaint, "My boxer shorts are not doing a good job in here as it had done with my pants."

"Would you have worn those lacy woman undergarments then?" Itachi asked with a teasing tone.

"You are so not my friend right now, Itachi." Naruto said, his posture slouching even more. He could care less if he became Konoha's very own hunchback. The hunchback in a freaking dress.

The young Uchiha told himself that Naruto didn't mean what he said. The blonde blurted it all out in his frustration. And Itachi needed to do what he had to do to save them both from the tiring and time consuming chase with the M.I.B posers. He understood that it was degrading for Naruto to be forced in a dress and his machismo, but times like this called for nonconsensual measures. He didn't see anything wrong with the situation and the fact that he was also having fun in the process of things. He was a child so he was entitled to do activities which defined 'fun' for him.

Though it still hurt to hear the word hate from a person that he liked enough to be his 'mom'. He normally didn't care of others opinion about him but Naruto was a special case.

"I don't have many friends to begin with so I don't think losing one would be a lost," Itachi said. He looked his normal passive self but his dark eyes lost their humoring glint.

"I'm sorry!" Naruto quickly apologized when he noticed that his small companion's mood lowered even though his voice was normal. Thanks to Sasuke, he learned the ability to sense a seemingly unfeeling human being's emotions. He had been a bit harsh with his choice of words for a child who had just helped him to get out clean in a messy situation. Clean and in a dress but still clean, right?

"My mouth overruns my brain so I could be a senseless and rude idiot at times. Friends?" he grinned at the black-haired boy. Itachi's eyes became livelier and even a small smile appeared on his childishly handsome face. A little nod served as the answer.

The boy felt much better. Now he could continue parading around with Naruto in a dress, an activity he deemed to be 'fun'. Of course, it was also to help the blonde. There's no harm in having a little fun when he was five years old. Children get away with a lot of things.

"Itachi."

"Dad." He leaned back and he saw his father behind Naruto with a raised in question.

He was surprised to see his father here, probably on a date with some woman. Should he tell his father that he had already found the perfect candidate? It'll both save them a lot of time. And remembering that he was with his 'mom' right now, it would be proper that he introduced them both to each other since they would be spending more time in the very near future.

"I'll introduce you to the special friend who gave me the accessory."

The raven-haired man walked up in front of the cross-dressed blonde, whom for the last few minutes of when the two Uchiha men exchanged two simple words, had not budge from his spot. The young Uchiha was puzzled with the blonde's reaction, or lack of it since simply standing there could not be considered as a reaction.

As far as two days worth of being acquaintance and basing his on his intelligent observations, Naruto was a straightforward person. Meeting with someone new was nothing to make him act like a human statue.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I'm Itachi's father," the raven-haired man greeted. Itachi, as well as his father, noticed the stiffening of the blonde. He seems to find the floor more interesting than meeting Itachi's father.

Maybe Naruto was uncomfortable in meeting his father in this situation? It was not as if Sasuke would recognize him, unless they had already met or they knew each other? His dad would recognize Naruto if they had since no details missed his father's sharp eye and memory.

The boy tugged on the hem of the short dress, trying to get the man's attention but he refused to even meet him in the eye.

Unless indeed. Naruto knew Sasuke. Things were getting more interesting as the time goes by. Sasuke and Naruto didn't need to get in getting-to-know-more-about-each-other phase since they already know each other.

He decided to observe their interactions to discover how well (or how worst) the two men were in terms of acquaintanceship.

**ooooo**

Fate had a huge issue with Naruto's life.

He just had to be friends with Sasuke's child, of all the available five-year olds in this shitty planet. It could have been anybody's child, for whatever's sake!

Why did not he realize the possible relationship when the similarities were clearly screaming in front of his makeup-covered face? The looks, the intellect and even the attitude were there. He should have realized that black-haired and black-eyed, pale people always end up with Uchiha as their last names.

Why was it that the more you avoid something like a plague, the more it comes to you with thrice the negative force that it had over your life? Just like how a positively-charged magnet attracts a negatively charged one.

And his unsavory childhood memories revolving around him and the man arose.

**ooooo**

He was six years old when he thought he had met the greatest love of his life, a pink-haired girl with green eyes. She was Haruno Sakura, an eight year old girl who also went to the same elementary school as him. The age gap didn't deter him and he hounded the girl continuously. He found out a few things about her; like how she was at the top of her class, her best friend was Yamanaka Ino etc. And how strong she was when she pummels him in annoyance for following her around.

In the following months, she got tired of the violent routine and decided to sit down and actually talk to Naruto. She discovered that the love-struck boy was not that annoying and found out that he was really fun to be with, especially with the jokes he tells her. He became her best male buddy.

Naruto was more than happy to be friends because in his young mind, male and female platonic relationships end up in romantic ones. They were both young so they all had the time in the world to know each other.

When he turned seven, he began noticing changes in Sakura's behavior. She became less violent, only giving him a few hard smacks on his head when he crossed her boundaries. She also started wearing dresses and even grew her hair out. She was spending less time with him also.

He didn't take the ignoring lightly. He sulked and bawled in his room for days, crying that "…Sakura-chan hates me!" His parents could not take the continuous wail so his mother, with her motherly compassion, forcibly entered his room and explained to him that his fried was growing up to be a lady.

_"She's becoming a young lady, Naruto." His mother, a redheaded woman with almost transparent blue eyes, ran her hands over Naruto's head that was resting on her lap. "So she's busy with preparing for it so she had less time to play with you. She doesn't hate you, dear."_

_"Then…sniff…I don't want to grow up a young lady too if I would have less time with you and everyone!" Naruto hiccupped as he wiped his still unblemished cheeks with his little chubby hand to remove the wetness. He already stopped crying when his mom first entered his room._

_Kushina laughed at her son's logic. He still didn't understand the development of boys and girls yet he claimed that he loved Sakura. _

_"You won't be one. You'll be a young man." Another voice interrupted them. A tall man with the almost exact face as Naruto entered, closing the orange door behind him. Minato smiled as he saw his wife and son. Kushina returned him a warm smile._

_"So I don't have to grow my hair long, look in shiny surfaces every time and wear dresses with frills and ribbons that you make?" Naruto asked as he sat down. Big blue eyes stared expectantly at his mother and unto his father._

_ "No. Girls do that. You're a boy so you're exempted to do those things. I guess I'll explain that when you're a bit older," The older man answered. _

_"But why do you make me wear those dresses?" Naruto asked again, his gaze directed to his mother. "If dresses were for girls only, why do I have to wear one and show them to the people in those fashion things?_

_"Now, Mom needs that for work, Naruto. And you get your ramen as a reward right?" Kushina cast a glare at her husband's direction, warning him to keep his mouth shut._

_Minato frowned but clamped his mouth shut as to follow the silent order. Honestly, he was against dragging their only son in his wife's work but he held no power over her. He was the feared president of the Namikaze Company but he was like those great men in stories whose holds doesn't reach their other halves. Kushina had the final say in some things, especially over Naruto and her work. He hoped that his son would distinguish the real difference between liking girls and boys. But his son liked Sakura so he was safe._

_"Oh, we have guests for dinner! A patron of my designs and a good friend is coming with her son. Naruto, come on and I'll clean you up and pick a nice set of clothes for you." She dragged her son out of the son, giving her husband a peck on his lips. _

_"Thanks for understanding."_

Naruto had been excited that night and agreed amiably with his mother's decisions. Wearing a nice pale cream dress shirt, well-ironed slacks and shiny shoes, he bolted down to their living room. His hair was a lost case; Kushina gave up on taming those wild locks he had inherited from his father.

"Hello. You must be Naruto-kun, Kushina's little son," a pleasant voice greeted him. He saw a beautiful woman with long black hair smiling gently at him from their sofa. He gave her a grin that might appear too wide for his small frame.

"Uh-huh. Mom told me that you also have a son! Where is he? Could I go and play with him? I don't have many friends in school since they tell me that I'm too noisy and annoying to play with. I also have these cool toys that Dad bought for me and since Mom told me to share, I'll share it with him!" Naruto suddenly blushed when he forgot to one thing.

"Sorry!" he bowed awkwardly, remembering his lesson on manners. "I'm Naruto. What's your name, ma'am?"

The woman laughed at his rambling. Kushina had an adorable child. It would be interesting to see how Mikoto's son would act around him. Before she could speak, the quiet boy on the single-seat sofa spoke.

"I don't play with children, Dobe."

Naruto turned his attention to the boy that on his excitement, he had missed. He was taller by a head, with sharp black eyes and hair styled with long fringes on the front and spiked in the back. It reminded him of a duck's butt. He frowned at the insulting quality of those words –he didn't like the stupid smirk on the face of the other boy.

"Sasuke!" Mikoto scolded her son who seemed to lack the proper socializing etiquette that he was raised up with. He didn't act as antisocial as this before.

"I'm Mikoto, Naruto-kun." She smiled at the blonde.

"Naruto! I told you to wait for me— Mikoto!" Kushina exclaimed as she saw her new-found friend. The other woman stood up and accepted the enthusiastic hug from her redheaded friend. It was easy to see the designer's resemblance with her son, in energy and cheerfulness.

"I'm glad you came. Sorry for Naruto's talkativeness. I hope he didn't annoy you much."

"Oh no, it was fine! He's such an energetic child, isn't he?"

"If by energetic you mean loud and hyperactive, then he is." Kushina laughed. "Hello Sasuke!"

Sasuke stood up and bowed gracefully. "Good evening, Kushina-san."

"You're really different from my son. I wish he could be half as well-mannered as you," the designer said wistfully. She engaged Mikoto in a lively chat, both of them seating down.

Naruto was still quizzically looking at the other boy. He thought that Sasuke was a bit boring and also annoying, for calling him dobe or something, but he was the type of child who always saw the light in everyone. Putting his bad impression aside, he walked towards him.

"Hey, let's play!" he greeted cheerfully. The taller boy raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a bored expression.

"I thought I told you that I don't play with children. Dobe."

"Meanie." Naruto pouted. "What's a dobe anyway? Could I eat that?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the question. This child was an idiot. "It means you're a useless idiot."

Naruto hated being called an idiot. They always called him that at school since he could not answer the teacher's question, not because of lack of knowledge but because of his fleeting concentration. He didn't want to be friends with Sasuke anymore and since they were not friends, he lunged at the surprised raven-haired boy. Their mothers stared dumbfounded when a childish brawl broke out between their two sons.

After thirty minutes, they were forcefully pulled apart by an exhausted Minato. The man was sweating, his clothes rumpled and his legs were aching from the assaults he received from the boys while they were fighting.

"Naruto!" Kushina was very angry with her son. She looked apologetically at Mikoto who was also busy reprimanding her son. The boys were both bruised up with ruined clothes and all.

As his mother was lecturing him about his manners, Naruto peeked at Sasuke. The other boy sensed it and stared at him, his smug smirk in place. The smaller blonde resisted the urge to attack him again. He settled with a childish blow of a raspberry and huffed at him.

This was the worst first meeting and apparently, it was not their last.

**ooooo**

He accidentally discovered weeks later what the reason was why Sakura was acting so girly all of a sudden; who was the reason actually.

Uchiha Sasuke; their school's little heartthrob. He was three years ahead of Naruto and was the ideal boyfriend material and living fantasy of the elementary girls with Sakura included in the bunch.

There was a weird tradition in their school to group students in a three-man cell for socializing and educational purposes, or so they say. No one could tell what its actual purpose was and you never question the board of directors' decisions since they were all old and wise; they'll have heart attacks once you defied them and you'll be tagged as a killer. The students knew what was good for them.

The group consisted of three students from different grades; no one knew what the basis of formation was. To his rotten luck, Naruto and Sakura were put in together with the great bastard himself. They were team seven and as you could guess, it was the most dysfunctional group –a fan girl, a stuck-up prick that said fan girl fan girls over and a loud blonde who adores the fan girl and hates the prick were not to be grouped. Sasuke and Naruto ended up in detention, in the guidance office and in the infirmary (mostly Naruto since he was smaller and Sasuke was much stronger) one way or another.

When he turned eight, Sasuke was preparing for his entrance in middle school so Naruto didn't see much of the raven-haired boy except when his mother or Kushina visited each other. They acted as if they didn't know each other during these times. For him, Sasuke was nothing but an invisible existence that was not worth his attention. Sasuke treated him as an inferior brat, someone who could never be on equal footing with him.

And the greatest disaster that ruined his childhood forever occurred. He killed his mother.

He requested his father to send him in Suna where his granduncle Jiraiya, a novelist, resided. As he set foot on the dry and windy city, he buried all thoughts of Konoha, his mother and father deep into the recesses of mind and heart. He locked everything that was happy. A murderer like him did not deserve any happiness. For three years in this city, he spent his life as another person, not the bright child that he used to be.

Kushina's body was rotting six feet under the ground, her flesh being feasted upon by maggots and insects who preyed on cadavers. She was now patches of skin and bones; stinking, decaying, unblinking. her beautiful face now probably had chunks of flesh removed, revealing the insides. She was forever, eternally dead.

No more of her bright laughs, glimpses of red hair and eyes, smiles and loving gestures for her family. Naruto was supposed to be in her place.

He returned to Konoha after three years and entered high school. He avoided seeing the man as much as possible but if if facing his father was unavoidable, he never looked into the older man's eyes. He believed that he would just see the same accusing look from that eyes, the same blaming and hateful glances from the people at his mother's funerals. And he didn't need anymore reminder of what he had done because his guilt was eating him enough. He opted not to look at them and not to risk seeing his own blood's hatred for him. Naruto inherited most of his physical appearance form Minato but he got the shape of his eyes from Kushina.

He did not want his father to look at his eyes. They were his mother's eyes; Minato would only see a ghost of Kushina. The scars on his cheeks he got from that _man with the evil smile_ were not enough for his punishment.

He met up with Sakura once again. His best friend had grown up to be a very beautiful teenager and his childhood infatuation escalated into puppy love. He met and befriended people here and slowly, he learned to smile and laugh again. His path also crossed with Sasuke once again and this time, he declared Sasuke as his rival in everything.

He tried hard to win against the raven-haired teenager but he always fell in the second spot. It infuriated him that even though Sasuke was only ahead of him by a step, the other called Naruto 'dead-last'. Sakura was also present wherever Sasuke was that they were once again a trio. It was common to see the three of them together, whatever the reason was.

This continued in college and in here, Naruto knew what heartbreak was. Sasuke and Sakura were going out and the girl got pregnant. He did not attend their wedding and preferred to be alone. He never had the chance to confess to Sakura and his rival won once again.

He avoided the two of them and after graduating, he became busy with going in and out of the country visits to different places to further his designing skills. He heard the couple divorced after two years of marriage. He never heard anything from Sakura since then.

Three years had passed and he thought the shadow of Sasuke was gone. He gladly returned to Konoha and planned to settle here nicely when he met Itachi –the child of his rival and his lost love.

He didn't have anything against Itachi; the child had nothing to do with the blonde's and Sasuke's tons of issues. Bitter and unsolved issues that had accumulated over the years of their existence.

But Sasuke said something in the present that snapped him from his reminiscence.

"Is this some kind of technique to get my attention miss? Frankly, I don't have time for this. If you're using my son to get closer to me, I suggest you abandon your plan because I don't think it will work."

And he did something that he'll regret doing again.

He looked up from the floor and glared fiercely at the other man.

"What was that bastard?"

Sasuke's frown disappeared and a look of surprise replaced it. Naruto's eyes widened, realizing why he avoided facing his rival directly in the first place; Sasuke had sharp eyes and memory sharp as stainless steel butcher's knife when it came to details about a person, physically and psychologically.

Naruto was now officially dead. He was fucking dead in a dress and the raven-haired man was there to witness him. Why was fate such a bitch?

"Naruto?"

**+TBC+**

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I know its a cliffhanger (Sorry!-.-') But this chapter got out of control and I had to cut it in two. About a quarter of the next is done so after elongating and revising it, I'll post it by this Tuesday.

And they would kiss. *sighs* I'm on to get some sleep before working again. R&R, lovely peepz! ^^


	6. Mommy Hunt o6

Disclaimer: The title Naruto and its characters belong to **Masashi Kishimoto**. (But Uzumaki Naruto belongs to Uchiha Sasuke XP) I only own teh plot because I'm poor.

This is why I don't set an exact schedule for my updates because even if I tried hard, I could not keep up with it. Sorry for posting this later than I promised T.T

Here's another chapter.

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+Mommy Hunt o6+

**ooooo**

You would probably think that a personal security's life was always in danger because of the constant possibility of the appearance of his employer's enemies armed with weapons aimed to kill. But Kotetsu and Izumo begged to disagree.

The real caution for their lives was not the bullets of their enemies but the presence of a busty blonde woman with the inhuman ability to break anything that came in contact with her single fist, things that a mere mortal should not be able to break.

When they both signed up for the position of protecting Namikaze Minato, the two didn't know that they were to perform one more task from the job description, a task far more important than securing the company-owner's life; catching his wily little son when the older man wanted to see his child, Naruto. This proved to be such a daunting task even with their strict military talents and excellent disguising skills. Naruto was the master of escaping; he was more slippery than an eel that swam in a pool of grease and oil. Naruto was only fifteen when they started this game of 'Naruto-Hunt'.

It was fine by the two men since it was the request of the kind and understanding Minato; he paid them a good salary and gave them good benefits, but it was mainly his gentle nature that made them follow his requests without complaints. They treated the chase as a good exercise for their physical and mental fitness. But it turned out to be a constant life-and-death situation once Tsunade, a relative and the younger man's employer, entered the picture.

_"Bring Naruto's ass here or I'll grind your calcium-deprived bones into fine, fine dust."_

She punched Minato's cemented wall and it left a very impressive crater; it was not a threat since she never threatened anyone. It was a warning for something that she would really do and she was a woman who stayed true to her words. Failure was intolerable and inexcusable; Kotetsu and Izumo spent their weary bodies a painful peace resting in hospital beds in bandages as reminders of their failures.

Their fear pushed them to work harder and applied tactics of tracking and capturing that proved to be at least sixty percent successful. The remaining forty percent of failure was lesser than their earlier attempts and this improvement lessen their bodily pains. But, right now they're facing another missing-Naruto dilemma and even with four of them, they still could not find him.

"I think we need to inform Tsunade-sama about the current event," one of the new men spoke up. He fished his phone out and pushed a single button, Tsunade's number was in speed dial since she hated waiting, and waited patiently for the other line to pick up. His gadget was suddenly yanked and in his horror, the spiky-haired man with a long strip of bandage covering the middle of his face threw it in the ground and stepped on it until it cracked.

"Se-sempai!"

A hand lightly tapped him in the shoulder. He almost 'eeped' in horror when a grim face of a brown-haired co-chaser greeted him. "We are doing this for your own good," Izumo said, his tone matching his grave face, "You'll be the on the same boat as that poor phone if you ever mentioned the words 'without' and 'Naruto' to Tsunade-sama." The two newbie shook in fear at the dark aura surrounding the man. They nodded their heads vigorously, taking the warnings of their seniors in work seriously. Now that they've secured another hour to find the missing blonde, they must spend it wisely.

What would he do if he was being chased by four men?

"What the hell bastard?" A familiar voice suddenly screeched from somewhere. The brown-haired man whipped his head around in search for the source of the sound. He found the back of a blonde woman in pigtails from afar. Her face was turned at the raven-haired man that he had asked earlier.

"Hey Kotetsu."

"Yeah?"

"Does that look like a woman to you?" The spiky-haired man turned to the direction of where Izumo's hand was pointing too. It was hard to guess from the back because a person's backside was quite deceiving; you thought that it was a woman then it appeared as a man. Having work for with Izumo for years, he knew where the other was going. He carefully examined the profile, using his vast knowledge of the structural difference of a man and a woman. He was an expert on disguises.

The style of the dress made it hard for him to guess whether there were curves or none. The outfit fitted the person ambiguously, making it even harder for him to guess which was really which. His eyes flitted to the shoulders and noticed that it was squarer and broader than an ordinary woman's. He motioned Kotetsu and the other two to follow him.

They were not going empty-handed and they were definitely not going to end up spending their time resting on the hospital bed.

**ooooo**

Sasuke would have rolled his eyes upward if he was not in a public place. What was wrong with his appearance that this woman could not directly look at him? Last time the young lawyer checked a mirror, he was still the slightly, handsome young father that her was (an appealing and handsome father at that). He certainly didn't have any deadly disease that you could get infected with and dropped dead on sight. As far as he was concerned, the only thing that he had that could make someone, especially girls, drop dead was his sexiness.

The reaction means either one of two things; the woman hated him or this was another ploy to get his attention. The only logical answer was the latter because this was the first time that he and the blonde have met and if they had, the lawyer was bound to remember with his memory. And somewhere deep inside his psyche, his high-rise-ego which he denies himself that exists, could not accept that someone with the XX chromosome would refuse and loathe Uchiha Sasuke.

He looked at his son who was tugging at the hemming of the woman's dress, anger suddenly bubbled out of him. He could stomach his fan's overbearing attempts to get him but he would not, ever, tolerate the involvement of his son.

"Is this some kind of technique to get my attention miss? Frankly, I don't have time for this. If you're using my son to get closer to me, I suggest you abandon your plan because I don't think it will work."

And he saw the blonde head moved from its staring contest at the interesting floor. His frown-lines were deep-set and prepared for another insult at the low tactic that she was using. But the words were stripped out of his mind when a pair of eyes the color of blue topaz with steeled hardness in them glared viciously at him. He was in shock, his eyes widening and mouth dropping in disbelief and shock.

Remember the bit about his sharp eyes and memory for remembering something or someone? That ability was now in work as his brain cells kicked in recognition of the blonde _man_, who was literally a blast from his past.

He could only remember three times in his twenty-seven years of entirety on this planet that he was caught off guard. Only one person did that to him. The first time was when he was ten years old when a boy three years younger than him attacked him. He was reprimanded by his mother for engaging in that act even though he was older

The second time was when the same boy, twelve years after, declared in the front of the whole university with a megaphone that they were rivals in love. The boy was then chased by the school guards for using school property without permission.

And the third time was something that he'd rather not talk about.

All three times were done by the same annoying blonde dobe, Uzumaki Naruto

He was a lawyer and dealt with criminals who had minds complex as a jigsawed labyrinth so he thought that he would not be in shock again, and also Naruto had been out of his life for almost six years. So imagine after six years, they meet again; Naruto was friends with his son and he was in a dress.

"Naruto?"

Naruto's face had fallen when he recognized the mistake of looking up from his eye-to-eye contact to know the floor better. He was dumbfounded and silence reigned between them. Itachi stared at the two adults with curiosity and interest, black eyes shifting from black head and yellow.

"So you got a problem, you stuck-up Uchiha? What if I'm in a dress? What're you gonna do, sue me for behaving inappropriately in public by dressing up as a gorgeous woman?" Naruto sputtered indignantly and continued "Why did I have to meet you, of all the bastards I know, in this place and in this situation? Wait, you're the only bastard I know, teme. And why did I not recognize your son?"

Trust Naruto to not keep his mouth shut for more than a second.

He grabbed his blonde pigtails in frustration, muttering curses and started pacing around. Sasuke and his son followed him with their eyes, the dress and the hair flapping around.

"Stupid, stupid old man's fucking guard…forcing me to wear this stupid disguise…then meeting up with the bastard…he just had to be Itachi's father…Sakura-chan's son Itachi," he mumbled. The trio was attracting attention.

Sasuke did not consider Naruto his friend, rival or anything. The blonde was another existence that appeared that he had to ignore. He did not hate the younger blonde to wish him all the sort of miseries in life to befall him but he also did not like him to wish the opposite of that.

But somehow, Naruto was a very impressionable character in his life. He could not remember a moment that he or Naruto insulted each other over petty things. Honestly, riling up Naruto in his younger days was a source of a sadistic fun especially if Sasuke won.

He could not really say what he felt about meeting again. Nor did he know that they'll meet again.

Fate was a playful force, tossing and juggling humanity in her trembling and unsure hands like a clown.

Well, what was anyone to say in this kind of situation anyway?

Though, he had a very clear idea who was responsible about the dress part; Naruto hated dresses with the height of Mt. Olympus because of the blonde's experience with his mother when he was younger. He turned to his son and in a questioning voice; he called the boy's attention.

"Itachi."

**ooooo**

This was such an amusing day.

Itachi watched the interaction of his father and Naruto interestedly. It looks like that the two's relationship went back into the olden days when the boy was still one of the multiple DNA prints in his parents' bodies. So that was why Sasuke reacted like that when he saw the accessory that he was wearing in the party.

And his father's expression…it was quite surprising and priceless. The young Uchiha rarely saw that always calm face fall out of control, even though Sasuke expressed more openly in front of his son. He never had known that a stranger, much less an old acquaintance of his father, to get that mask off the raven-haired lawyer.

Maybe Naruto was really something else, aside from being his future mom of course. He knew the best after all.

"Itachi." He heard his father call him, the questioning tone of the voice obvious. He knew that he was to answer an unstated question. The boy schooled his amused features to his normal one and faced the older man, answering in simple and direct statement.

"We met the other day in a park across the street. I invited him earlier to have a snack and some men started chasing him so I helped him by disguising him."

"Is that all? Why do I sense that you have other ideas running in your little head?" Sasuke crossed his arms, black eyes looking at his smaller version doubtingly.

"I have no idea, dad."

Itachi shrugged his shoulders and turned around to speak at the crazily-pacing blonde, noticing the stares they were getting form the other customers and people of the department store. He was about to say something when he noticed the four men that were after Naruto going straightly at their location.

This was bad. All his efforts would go down the drain of they discovered this. What to do? What to do?

Then he noticed Naruto's rather awkward and clumsy way of walking. He was still not used to the clothes and the shoes. Then he saw his father standing there and watching Naruto. A smirk found its way on his face and another plan rose as a light bulb above his head.

It was not really that bad and embarrassing since Naruto was already decked the way he is right now. He walked to the confused blonde and watched for the right moment to stick his foot out and trip Naruto.

He smiled innocently as he found the chance and without warning, he put his right foot in place..

…making Naruto stumble on it…

…then making his face land on his father's…

…and they kiss.

The wonderful thing about the human mind is that it takes a moment to analyze something that caught it off guard.

The shock of that impact was enough to make them stuck in that position for another minute or so. Enough to convince the chasers that Naruto was indeed a woman and his mother.

And to properly reacquaint Sasuke and Naruto with each other, including the boy's introduction of the blonde's role in his life.

**ooooo**

He was simply observing Naruto to find the right time to talk to him. But as he had stated earlier, the blonde had a knack for always catching him off guard so predictably unsurprisingly, the other man stumbled and landed on him.

The last thing he saw was flailing arms and a shrilly yelp before a hard body landed against him…and the soft pair of lips against his. It was too sudden for him to react and all.

There was one thing that was very wrong on what was happening here. It was so wrong on so many levels. This was the repeat of the third time that the blonde surprised him.

On the night before Itachi was conceived, the drunken Naruto kissed him on the lips.

Naruto was his supposedly rival and a man. Sasuke was supposed to exchange insults and trade blows with him. Not exchange kisses!

They were two men kissing in front of people and his son. Naruto was also in a dress. And why was Itachi smirking at him? But his shock at what was currently happening could not be compared with how he felt when his son spoke these words:

"Meet my mommy candidate; Naruto."

**+TBC+**

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I apologize for the shortness since I can't squeeze more out of my brain and my eyesight is really blurry. I only slept for an hour today and my sleepiness is catching up. So sorry for the typos and stuff. I'll edit this when I wake up.

Review...zzZzz


	7. Mommy Hunt o7

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only play with these characters that he designed.

Uhmmm...hi? Err, I came back from the land of the dead?

Sorry for almost a month of disappearance. I suffered from the infamous writer's block, which was a horrible experience that I don't want to relive T.T I'm starting to write once again and I hope that it was cured. Enjoy! ^^

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+Mommy Hunt 07+

**[ - ]**

He was kissing another man.

That was the single thought circling his hysteric mind right now. He didn't even hear Itachi's declaration that might have sounded far-fetched and troublesome for his already troubled life. He was too concentrated on why he was currently lip-locked with his sworn eternal rival, the bastard of this planet. There always had to be something wrong with his life; from his superhuman aunt to his choice of a five-year old to befriend. Every single day that he ate, slept and breathe, there was something bound to go out of control, running merrily out of his safety zone and jumping on the open arms of trouble. A trouble named Uchiha.

Naruto quickly pushed the other man away, rubbing his lips roughly against the back of his hand. Sasuke was just as in shock as him because the other man's eyes so wide that he lost his cool demeanor. The blonde would've been proud that he made that coolness slip off the Uchiha's face but considering the circumstances that they were in, he couldn't brag about this 'achievement' since it involved his own humiliation.

He muttered several curses under his breath while still moving his hand over his lips, avoiding meeting the other's face.

How he hated this place, day and time. He was sure that Fate was conspiring against him, making his life as miserable as possible for her own amusement.

"Still clumsy as ever, aren't you dobe?"

Naruto looked up and saw that haughty smirk that the raven-haired man now wore. Sasuke quickly recovered his composure but the other knew that he was still embarrassed over what happened. Damn that ability of his to show that he was not affected.

He was about to offer a sharp reply but stopped when he noticed how much commotion they had caused with all the stares that were directed at him. Most of them were a mix of admiration and jealousy from how they looked as a perfect 'family', others were questioning and the rest were stares of simple curiosity. They didn't mean any harm at all but he still felt that unsettled feeling of vulnerability every time eyes were fixed on him. He felt guilty, small and exposed. He didn't like them staring as if he was a freak show in a circus.

It reminded him of those blaming looks that the people at the funeral of his mother gave him.

He felt his air being pulled out of his lungs, felt like he was going to suffocate. He reeled around, aiming to get out of this place and far away from these people. But he was rooted on the spot when he saw his father's henchmen walking toward them, their eyes locked on him, Naruto in the dress.

There was no way that they'll recognize them in his outfit right? He started to panic, looking frantically left and right for an escape route. He had almost forgotten that the two were experts on disguise, no matter how well it was presented. His record of always winning in the 'Naruto-hunt' was broken when those two caught him using the disguise of an elderly couple suffering from arthritis. He was running away from them as usual when he stopped by the sidewalk to help an old woman bent over, rubbing her knees and complaining about old age and rheumatism. Her husband slumped in a corner, suffering from the same cruel fate.

The helpful teenager that he was, he approached them and offered to bring them to the nearest clinic or to accompany them home. He should've guessed that no old people gripped as tightly as the granny did that time. He tried to be more careful with dealing with strangers-in-disguise but his kindness always made him forget about that every time he saw someone who needed help.

As the men started to get nearer, his panicking started to get worse. Despite claiming on how he hates his life, he still had dreams to achieve; dreams that mainly revolve around tasting and eating all the ramen that the world has to offer him. And he didn't want to be caught in a dress, dragged in a dress and killed in a dress. He would gladly go to heaven that was filled with ramen, and a bit of girls, but Tsunade's fist didn't offer such privileges. It was either broken bones, busted blood vessels, shredded organs or bruises and those were not friendly choices for his body, wallet and his now beloved life.

Sasuke had a questioning expression on his face, wondering why the blonde looked distressed. Naruto met Itachi's eyes and the boy simply pointed at his father discreetly, and then put his small forefinger on his lips.

The child didn't just suggest that…he kissed Sasuke again, did he? There was no way, no way in hell—okay, he was not going to think about this anymore. No, he won't think about that anymore. He'll contemplate on the consequences of his actions later, much later when he's not panicking and had a clear mind of what he would do. He needed to survive this day of MIB goons, snarky five –year olds and the horror of being a she-man. And hopefully, he'll emerge safe, with his pigtails and all.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and apparently kissing his rival. He'll just blame everything to Sasuke later.

He threw caution out in the air, walking towards Sasuke. He looped his arms around the taller man's neck and closing his eyes, he made their lips met.

And with his mind blank, he didn't even notice the small boy's triumphant smirk.

**[ - ]**

Izumo saw when the 'woman' pushed the other man away. He saw the taller man said something with a smirk that made the lady turn around with her feet stomping on the ground. She suddenly froze on her place, the color draining from her face and her blue eyes filled up with different emotions, anxiousness the most perceivable of them. She just stood like that for minutes before her gaze landed on them and started to panic. Naruto was never one to hide his emotions up his sleeves –he places them on a billboard by the main highway for the rest of humanity to see. What a waste for his perfect cover-up.

Whoever decked the younger man in that outfit was terribly smart for choosing that style of dress and applying a make-up that were really flattering. The blonde turned out to be a beautiful woman. Well, almost a beautiful woman because beneath that layers of clothes and colors, a 'woman' with flat chest and balls with dick.

He was looking forward to spending the rest of the weekend out of the hospital without casts and bandages on his body and far away from the scary nurse who carried an inhumane size of syringe that she uses to put uncooperative patients to sleep. Maybe with that free time, he could do things like be in a dinner with a beautiful woman and perhaps he was lucky, he could spend more time with her in a more private setting.

With the interesting course that his mind was taking, he forgot the small detail about Naruto that had a companion. A little five-year old that was too smart, too mature and too cunning for the good of the health of others around him and perhaps, for the rest of the world.

Before he and the other three could get nearer, a small form blocked their way.

"We're a little busy right now," Izumo snapped irately. But he swallowed his next words when teary black eyes looked up at him.

"Could you help me find my mommy?"

**[ - ]**

Tears were probably the most effective weapon that a child could have. Its effects were much more successful than death threats and harassment.

Adults never suspect that children were capable of complicated things such as manipulating the people surrounding them to suit their own desires. It was the advantage of being a child.

Children were expected to be children after all.

"P-please, I j-just want to see my m-mom. I've been walking a-around the p-place but I c-couldn't find her…and…and", the young Uchiha furthered his acting, making fake tears fall from his eyes. He sniffled a few times while internally hoping that he had enough time to distract the men from pursuing Naruto. It wouldn't be that hard, if judging by the genuinely worried look on the spiky-haired man's face. He knew lying was a bad thing and his conscience was nagging him to stop doing this and just let the men do their jobs. But it would even be worse for him if his plans, mainly revolving around Naruto, would be foiled.

"You alright? When and where did you last see your mother?" Izumo bent down and laid his hand against the child's shoulder.

"At t-the gadget's s-section. I sneaked out on her to g-get to the elevator…I just want to see my mommy!" He cried more. He wanted to cringe at how whiny and childish he sounded but he needed to do what he could. He didn't necessarily act like a five-year old for the most of the time so he felt a little better at the thought.

"Stop crying now, okay? I'll help you—"

"Izumo, we don't have time for that. We're in the middle of a very important assignment," a steely voice interrupted. The man with the straight brown hair eyed the small boy with a frown.

"We need to help him! You don't know how it is to get lost in an unfamiliar place," Izumo argued. He remembered his own of getting lost in a forest when he and his father went camping. He was found by another camper three days later, unconscious. That's why he felt sensitive with cases like this.

"Others could help him; our lives would surely be at stake if we didn't bring Naruto with us."

"You don't know how it feels to be alone. This boy needs our help and you'll just turn your back on him?"

"Look," Kotetsu released a sigh of frustration with his friend's dramatic side. He understood where the other was coming from but they couldn't afford to waste their preciously ticking time. Drama would be much fitting when they would be both lying in their graves, courtesy of Tsunade.

"Finding and catching Naruto comes first."

"How could you even be sure that that woman is Naruto?"

"Are you questioning me?"

"Yes."

And the two broke out in a manly staring contest. The rule of this challenge was simple; the first man to blink loses the argument. It was an easy way of settling disputes that they learned in their military days. This didn't require bloodshed and yet, they still remain manly. Or they think so.

Itachi watched the two men with little interest. He let them continue being fools. Without giving out his guise of being a helpless boy, he tilted his head a bit to see what his father and Naruto were doing. The boy was surprised to see them still kissing, or at least Naruto still kissing Sasuke, with Naruto's hands now grabbing the sleeves of Sasuke's shirt harshly. The raven-haired man was obviously frozen in shock.

His father would surely get angry if he discovered that these events were the doing of his son. But the boy was doing him a big favor by choosing his own 'mother' rather than making his father do all the work. Naruto was a man and for reasons still unclear to Itachi, hated his father so Sasuke won't have to worry about women who just wanted him for what he could give, not for what he really is.

And what he wanted, he made sure that he got it. Naruto will become his mother even though it required a lot of work. But the fruits of his labor would surely be much, much sweeter. He just had to let his father see the situation in Itachi's perspective and everything would be fine.

Oh, and he still had to inform and convince Naruto of his little wish. But that would be coming a little bit later. He still needed to deal with the blonde's pursuers so his obstacles would be lessened.

As the saying goes, he's going to take one humungous step at a time.

**[ - ]**

Sasuke couldn't feel anything but shock. It overrode the emotions that he should be feeling right now while kissing Naruto.

The first one had been an accident, which he was sure because he knew the blonde's clumsiness would take over during the most unfortunate of times –like now. He offered an insulting remark to at least get rid of his own embarrassment and to put the blame to Naruto. Uchihas don't face situations that would put them to shame head on; they face it with insults and smirks.

But once again, Naruto's penchant for surprising him didn't cease. For the second time, they were both sharing another unwanted kiss. Should he be thankful that this was Naruto the man that he was kissing and not another one of his fan girls? Or should he be disgusted with the fact that this was Naruto and this was a man that he was kissing? His mind was too numb to process anything.

The only thing that's keeping him from having a heart attack was his Uchiha training of dealing with the expected unexpected. If he was a lesser man, he would be probably lying on the floor with his mouth foaming at the shock level that he was exposed too.

The tight grip on his sleeves loosened up, Naruto finally removing his lips. The blonde was eerily quiet for the raven-haired man's comfort and it was disconcerting.

"I didn't know that you liked me in _that _way, Naruto." He said. He's positive that Naruto would react. And react he did.

"What? How in the world could I ever like a bastard? Are you out of your mind?"

"Says the man in the right mind to wear a dress."

"Oh, I ought to hit that pretty-boy face of yours…" the blonde hissed with barely contained dislike.

"I also didn't know that you find me attractive. Really, Naruto I should've realized that a long time ago." Sasuke smirked, enjoying his advantage.

"Shu up. Do you think I enjoy dressing up in drags? This was the only way to escape those hooligans, as your son had suggested. And then those guys just had to go at me directly and I just had…to…kiss…you again…" Naruto's voice faded with each word, the truth now slapping him with a pan left and right.

"Apparently, you just did that."

"I kissed you…"

"Yes."

"I freaking kissed you!"

Sasuke frowned at the horrified look on the other man's face, the color of it draining away. Now that the shock subsided, he only treated that incident as an accident. Why did Naruto have to look like as if he had just kissed a very disgusting beast and not an utterly handsome prince?

"Stop that!" The lawyer's irritation was doubled when the blonde held his neck and gagged. "If I remembered correctly, you came to me willingly during the second time."

Naruto didn't and couldn't deny that fact. He did kiss him intentionally but it was for the purpose of saving himself and not because he liked Sasuke. But how could he tell the raven-haired man that?

If confronted with a situation that you knew that's really out of your hands, what would you do?

He turned his back to Sasuke and did what he was best at –running.

**[ - ]**

"Senpai, the target is running away!"

The staring was broken and the men quickly sprung into action. Itachi turned around and true enough, Naruto was running once again. There was really no way to keep that guy still in once place. He let out a small sigh and proceeded to follow them, running and ignoring the people around him. It took him a while before he tracked them down; the blonde's back facing him with the men carefully advancing towards him.

"Mommy!" The boy shouted, dashing towards where Naruto was. Before the other could react, he latched himself on his waist and buried his face in the dress.

"Don't talk. Just let me handle them," Itachi whispered as he looked up at the confused man. Naruto nodded and sealed his lips tightly, afraid to mess this only chance to escape. The boy started to sniff and tears once started to flow out of his eyes. He smiled gratefully at the incoming men.

"Thanks for finding my mom. You're all great and I haven't even told you what she looks like."

"I'm glad you found your mom, kid." Izumo said, completely forgetting about why he was chasing the woman.

"She's your mother? But you don't resemble her in any way. " Kotestu said. There was something really suspicious about this. "Surely, you wouldn't mind showing some identifications, Miss –?"

Smart guy.

"Genes don't really work that way, mister. And my mom is mute," Itachi answered. It was hard lying with a suspicious man.

"Oh, I know sign language!" To the boy's horror, the man with the bandage on his nose started to make hand signs that Itachi didn't understood because he didn't know anyone who was deaf and mute. They'll be caught and his dreams were over…he'll never have his mother and –was Naruto hand signing?

He watched fascinated as the men communicated through their hands. It amazed him that the blonde knew how to do that and wondered how many things were the man capable of. As he gets to discover something more about Naruto, the more he wanted to learn more.

Yes, he wanted to learn more about the man that'll be his 'mother'.

The conversation ended with Naruto blowing a flying kiss and bowing to the other man. Izumo smiled and told his companions what the two talked about.

"Her name's Sakura and she said that she was thankful that fine men helped her child. You see, a pervert groped her and she threw her handbag at him and then when she turned around, her son disappeared. She apologizes for all the trouble."

Kotetsu, who knew nothing about sign languages just nodded and grudgingly apologized for his earlier behavior. He commanded the other men to resume looking. Itachi and Naruto waited for them to get away before speaking. The boy wasn't able to hide his snickering form the blonde.

"What? Did you have any brilliant ideas aside from dresses and mothers?"

"I didn't. I believe you pulled this one smoothly. But the pervert part is a bit…" Itachi let a small laugh escape before continuing. "Where did you learn to sign language?"

"I was a volunteer at a hospital and was assigned at the pediatric ward with mainly deaf and mute children were confined. I needed to talk to them so I had to learn the way they speak." The blonde shrugged his shoulders. "You were quite the little actor, weren't you?"

"If you call the ability to fool those MIB with fake tears and sob stories acting, then yes, I was quite the incredibly talented and Oscar-worthy child actor."

"And you really are that bastard's son." Naruto rolled his eyeballs and started removing the hairpins that were keeping his wig in place.

"You dislike my dad, don't you? Why?" Itachi asked, his curiosity taking over.

"Well, it dates back to the years when we were both children. He acted a bastard and I acted self-righteously. It's just bad blood, I guess." The man yanked the wig, yelping in pain. "But you're mother and I was good friends!"

The smile on Naruto's face was bright, his dampened mood lightening at the mention of Itachi's mother. She must have been a wonderful woman, if his reactions were to judge. But he didn't have any memories of the woman who birthed him.

"I don't remember her. Dad divorced her when I was two years old and took care of me alone."

And silence ensued. Itachi didn't want to talk about someone who was never a part of his life, someone who was a perfect stranger.

"I could probably tell you things about her. At least when we meet again, we'll have something to talk about. My mother died when I was young so I know how hard it was to grow up without one." Naruto offered him a little smile. Itachi simply nodded.

He wanted to tell Naruto that he was not interested in learning about a woman who didn't even made efforts to at least introduce herself to her own child. He wanted to learn more about Naruto rather than discover things about his biological mother.

The past didn't matter when the present was offering you as better thing. In his mind, there was no one else suited to fulfill the vacancy other than Naruto himself.

"You're father's probably worried now. You need to get back."

Itachi almost forget about his father. He was going to be doing a lot of explaining when they get home –or now. Because when he turned around, he saw Sasuke standing in front of him.

"Itachi, care to explain a few things?"

**[ t b c… ]**

I forgot to mention last chapter: Kushina's cause of death would play a big part on the plot. Once again, I apologize for the lateness. School's now started in my country though I don't know how that would affect my updating pattern. (Or if it would be affected at all. Exams and projects surely would)

Ah, so reviews for the not-so-dead author? *grins***  
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	8. Mommy Hunt o8

DISCLAIMER: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto's characters and everything that has to do with it. I only own the plot.

I am really, really sorry for leaving the story for almost two months. I'm not really expecting that I would lose interest in the fandom and Yaoi, and some personal issues that caught up made it harder to write. But, I am trying my very best to keep the updating pattern more faster. I know that I made some of you irritated and offended and for that, I am truly apologizing.

Thank you for the patience and support :)

Here's another chapter and I hoped you enjoy ^_^

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+ Mommy Hunt o8 +

**oOoOo**

"You useless pieces of walking dicks!" Tsunade yelled at her phone, specifically to the incompetent males on the other line. She hoped that their eardrums would burst and blood would gush out of their ears; that was the worst that she could do with the distance between her and the fools. They should be thankful (they were actually in a shrine, offering to the gods of fate for the safe distance) that she was not near them at the moment, rearranging their bones like a Rubik's cube; moving and twisting them until they matched the images on her mind. Images that would surely scare even the toughest criminals situated in maximum security prisons.

Men really couldn't be trusted with simple tasks that required them using their brains. Well, for her, they were useless in everything unless it required them to use their dicks to overpopulate the world with even more useless men.

Her phone snapped into two. The woman sighed and threw the broken gadget into the nearest trash bin. Her assistant, a short black-haired female named Shizune dutifully handed her another phone that came from the numerous ones in a cabinet that was specially to contain several spare items. Tsunade was quite proud of her strength but sometimes it was too much too handle, especially with the expenses that cost her after breaking too many items in a slip of uncontrolled emotions. Others think that she was a sadistic woman but that was far from the truth; she did not enjoy breaking inanimate objects -they don't scream out when they snap.

She debated whether to contact the so-called guards again to let them continue the search but quickly decided against it. She'll let her fists do the talking later. She dialed another number.

"Your lovely little brat went to another planet and gave your 'capable' men a huge slip."

_"Should I say nothing less form my son?" _She heard a deep chuckle come from the other man. _"Lunch would have to be canceled then."_

"Minato, lunch was over hours ago."

_"I was hoping that Naruto would have a good change of heart and meet his old father willingly, for once." _His voice dropped a few notches lower. She could just see his blue eyes darken in sadness at another missed meeting with his son.

"I wish that boy of yours would simply tell me, especially you, what's his problem." Tsunade rubbed her temples to ease the tension forming on her head. Any topic that has Naruto's involvement is sure to require her to drink at least two tablets of aspirin to stop the headaches. "He's not a twenty four year-old retard though he acts the part some time. He's supposed to act like an adult! Why don't you simply smack sense into that boy? You are his father."

_"I'm only his father in name. I failed to act one all these years."_

She didn't know who could be blamed in Minato and Naruto's situation. She wanted to blame her niece Kushina for dying and leaving her responsibility of watching over the two most important men in the late redhead's life but it was immature and senseless, blaming a dead person. Kushina didn't choose to die like that and Tsunade was quite sure that she would never have left her family behind. No one exactly knew why the two blonde men's relationship fell apart. Not even Minato himself.

The crack in the father and son's bond began to surface at Kushina's wake. Naruto began distancing himself from everyone; from his friends, his relatives and his father. Tsunade watched as Minato struggled to reach out to his son but it was hard because the boy refused to look at his face. She remembered that during the entirety of the wake, the child avoided lifting his head up to meet his father's eyes even if he spoke to the older man. She saw how Minato would run his hands over his hair, his frustration with the new attitude of his son. And fourteen years later, the gap was now wide enough that you have to build a bridge to connect the two sides. Minato kept on trying to get his son back_, _hiring men to catch his elusive child.

"Naruto needs to grow up. He needs to see that he's not the only one who's still hurting over the loss of his mother." Tsunade grabbed the sake cup that Shizune offered her and drank it on one gulp. The taste soothed her headache but not her heart. You would think that time had healed her wounds over the loss of Kushina, the daughter that she never had.

A wound healed but always left a scar, a reminder of that painful experience. In some cases, even the scar hurts. Just like how it was with Naruto and Minato.

_"Should you be drinking before your scheduled operation with a patient? Your patient would not appreciate it if he were to lose something that was not supposed to be removed."_

"Are you underestimating the medical prowess of Tsunade, one of the legendary sannin? Even blindfolded, I could slice up a human's body and extract his appendix," Tsunade boasted smugly.

The legendary sannin was the title given to three of the greatest personalities that Konoha produced, each of them famous for the exceptional skills they managed to show everyone in their chosen fields. However, they were also known for their rather not so great personalities. Tsunade was a surgeon who never lost any patient but also a drunken gambler who never won anything.

Jiraiya, Minato's uncle, was a novelist whose works had inspired many, including his Icha-icha series which is a highly graphic porn reading material. He was also a pervert who loved peeking on women bathing in hot springs.

And Orochimaru was a scientist that created wonder medicines that cured once-incurable diseases but at the price of the human lives he experimented on. He betrayed Konoha and was now a wanted criminal.

_"I'm just reminding you,"_ the voice on the other line laughed._ "It never hurts to be careful right? I'm off to work now. Could you greet Naruto for me?"_

"Will he even show up?"

_"He loves his work though his actions don't justify it. He'll return but be a little gentle with him. Take care, Tsunade."_

"Fine. You take care too, Minato."

Tsunade dropped her phone carelessly on her desk when the call disconnected. Minato was trying hard to complete the bridge of connection with his son but even the most determined and the strongest of men could not finish a job that required two persons. Communication is a two-way process of speaking and listening. You need to speak well so you could and be understood well. But Naruto refused to be understood.

She could not help but wonder if Naruto told them the whole truth of the incident that took his mother's life. Minato, Jiraiya and Tsunade knew concluded that Naruto probably saw his mother be killed in front of him. Her fists clenched and she cursed the man responsible for all of this pain. She might not be able to inflict serious damage to that deranged but she'll make sure that he'll rot in that dank jail; with roaches, flies and bugs as companions to his end. His death would not be enough compensation for the lives he left ruined. She took the bottle of sake and drank straight from it. The past was already done so the only choice was to move forward, even with the old baggage of pain.

**oOoOo  
**

Sasuke sighed as Itachi left the dining room without even saying goodbye. He felt as if his son was another person with the complete 180-degree flip of the boy's personality.

Sure Itachi was not as open as other kids with regard to his emotions but Sasuke raised him in a way that permitted him to express himself when he needed. Suppressing what you feel didn't do any good for him.

Itachi's greetings of 'good morning', 'goodbye' and 'welcome back' didn't sound as mechanical as his greetings towards Sasuke's own father when he was younger. The boy showed him small smiles of appreciation with the things that Sasuke does and gives for him, unlike Sasuke's empty courteous smile when Fugaku praises him. And occasionally, Itachi embraces him, which he never did to his own father.

He managed to steer Itachi away from being the cold Uchiha that Fugaku has raised his own son. Itachi was still restricted with his Uchiha upbringing due to the times that Sasuke had to leave his son at the Uchiha compound with his mother and father, giving Fugaku enough time to instill the Uchiha standards to Itachi.

If he had known that his son's definition of a mother would be blonde, male and _Naruto, _he would've never filed for divorce and Itachi wouldn't really be curious about this mother-stuff. Then again, he didn't know how his son would've grown up with the kind of environment that Sasuke and Sakura had.

He really didn't remember much of the night that Itachi was conceived because his mind was clouded with the evil spirit of alcohol. He just woke up with her cuddling him in her sleep, both of them naked as the day they were born. The next thing he knew, he was at the breakfast table besides Sakura with the Harunos and his father, discussing marriage. He knew that he was not ready for something as big and as binding as marriage –he had just been out of school. Sasuke voiced out his protests, telling the adults present that both he and Sakura were still too young to be tied down, with the girl still on her final year in college.

_"I don't mind Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, "I could still continue even if we were married."_

_But he minded it. He minded it a lot. _

_"Sasuke, are you running from your responsibilities?" Fugaku stared at his son with a challenging look, daring him to speak and defy his authority. Sasuke refused to budge down this time._

_"No, I'm not," he said defiantly, "I think it's a bit too early for that kind of arrangement. I'm asking for it to be delayed so both Sakura and I could pursue things that we want." _

He already resigned to the fact that sooner or later, he'll be with Sakura legally. His father liked her and she was the most tolerable of all the women he had been with though she was a clingy. Sasuke just preferred it to be later.

Fugaku stood from his seat and walked towards his son, backhanding him which earned gasps from Sakura and her parents. That was the first time that his father laid his hands against Sasuke and the latter looked at the man dumbfounded.

_"I am your father, Sasuke. You will follow what I say and if I say that you get married by the end of this week, then you'll get married."_

At those words, the fact that his father valued his son for the merits that he would bring and not for the fact that Sasuke was his child of blood and flesh finally sank in; he treated his son no more than as a means to get what he wanted_. _All the love that he might have felt for his father vanished into thin air, along with the respect. It was his Uchiha name that made him not back out from his wedding and as he exchanged vows with Sakura, all he could think of was how much he hated his father and his name.

Sasuke immersed himself deeply into his studies and work, ignoring his marital responsibilities. He chose to junior at a small law firm that was not connected to his father in anyway. His marriage was the last thing that his father would dictate him to do; he was determined to completely break away from the old man's grasp.

His union with Sakura remained only in name and in paper. He hated her for agreeing with this whole thing even though she knew that Sasuke still had plans. He knew she planned the whole thing, from the night that they were together and the marriage. He turned to high class female escorts to relieve his sexual desires though he had a wife. Sakura was intelligent so it would not surprise Sasuke that she knew that her husband was cheating on her and that he hated her but she chose to ignore it. She acted like a perfect and devoted wife.

His treatment towards her didn't change even after learning of her pregnancy two months later. He was not excited at the prospect of being a father at all. He planned not to be present during his wife's birth but fate had other plans when Sakura's contractions suddenly began when they were both in the middle of a party. And he would've had regrets if he was not there at the birth of his son.

He didn't know what kind of emotion overcame him when he first held his son's tiny frame in his arms. It was a mixture of happiness, fear, excitement and… fulfillment. His son was perfect and Sasuke swore to be the perfect father for him. He changed for Itachi but so did Sakura.

While Sasuke was trying to be the ideal married man, his wife became distant. She rarely stayed in the house anymore, solely relying on the maid for the caring of their son, which he did not like at all. He tried to fix their relationship for the sake of their son and even apologized for acting like a bastard. But he was too late.

They had a big fight when Itachi turned two. Sakura left the toddler with the new maid who barely knew a thing about children when Itachi was already suffering from a very high fever.

_"Why did you leave him without even bringing him to the pediatrician?" Sasuke pounded his fists at the kitchen table in anger. He got home with his son suffering from a fever due to a throat infection that he could have died of at his age because of the carelessness of the maid.  
_

_"All you care about is that child! I have my own life, Sasuke!" Sakura screamed in frustration. Her eyes changed from being worried to being angry. "I left him with a guardian."_

_"He could have died, Sakura. He's your son, your his mother!"_

_"I won't be for long."_

The next day, Sakura filed for divorce which he signed without a blink. He did try to find someone to marry so Itachi could have a mother but all the women he had relationships with so far were too concerned with themselves to care for his child. That's why up to now, he had raised Itachi with some help from his own mother. Sasuke thought that Itachi was already contented with their arrangement so he was surprised when the boy asked for a mother.

He should have married again so he wouldn't be in this dilemma. Now Itachi wanted Naruto, of all people, to be his mother; a male for a mother. He wanted to grant Itachi's wish but he could not simply agree with son's choice. Too many complications would arise from that, complications that he didn't want Itachi to experience at any costs.

But knowing Itachi, the boy would probably have some tricks under his sleeves to get what he wanted. That's why he had to move fast to find a suitable female mother for him.

**oOoOo**

Itachi wished that his father was not his father.

He loved his father but at times, he was simply hard to deal with. Sasuke had forbidden his son to see Naruto without giving any explanation whatsoever. Itachi was not contented with 'Because I said so'.

Was it because Naruto and his father didn't get along well? His dad was not that narrow-minded to involve Itachi's budding good relationship with the blond because Naruto surely won't cause any harm. Or was it because of what happened at the mall? He already explained what occurred and took all the blame for it.

After thinking of one thousand and one more reasons, he concluded that his father's decision was probably made from Itachi's declaration of making Naruto his 'mother'. You don't make a male person into your mom in this society; that title was reserved for humans with bosoms, hour-glass figures and wears dresses and skirts, someone with the XX chromosome and their gender says female. Sasuke was probably worried with what others would say about his son when they discover the boy's unique choice and was doing this for his own good.

Not that he cared. He wasn't old enough to contradict his father's decisions but he knew that he was old enough to make his own choices and he didn't give a worry's worth for what others would think of him, unless they knew him enough. Good things rarely follow what was normal anyway. He'll only worry if Naruto causes more damage than global warming already did.

Sasuke was being unreasonable, not that his request was within reason's boundaries but that was beyond the point.

Naruto was going to be his mom. How was he going to do that?

But he needed his father's consent for that to happen. It will make things a lot easier if his father agreed.

He was snapped from his thoughts when something –someone—suddenly shoved him towards the ground.

"Deidara. Care to tell me why I'm on the ground and you're making my clothes dirtier?" Itachi barely controlled the anger that seeped in his voice but the small blond on top of him hardly seemed to notice. Rolling on the earthy ground didn't help his worsening mood.

Deidara pulled him up by his bag pack and dragged him behind the bush. He motioned him to be quiet. He turned to Sasori and cast the redhead a questioning glance. The other pointed his finger to the walking school guard.

_'BOOM!"_

A cloud of smoke surrounded the air, followed by a very foul smell. Itachi wrinkled his nose in disgust and quickly fished the handkerchief in his pocket to cover it.

"Damn you, terrorist brat!"

"Finally got you old man, yeah!" Deidara started dancing like a chicken that got its head suddenly cut off. "I told you that I'll get my revenge on him for repressing my freedom of making explosions!"

"Do you even know what 'repression' is?" Sasori asked.

"I don't really know but it perfectly fits the sentence."

Itachi grabbed Deidara by his waist before he could continue dancing like an idiot and the three of them would smell like they were dunked in a tank of rotten fish, dead animals and toxic waste. It was bad if you already smelled like that; imagine if you have two seatmates that smelled as deadly as you.

"Hey! Itachi, what the heck are you doing? Lemme go!" The blond boy started flailing wildly. "I still haven't finished celebrating my victory, you—!"

"I'm not in a very good mood, _Deidara._"

The tone of Itachi's voice quickly made Deidara shut up. No one wanted to get at Itachi's bad side, especially when he's in a very foul mood. The last time was when a boy from their class carelessly commented about Itachi using his influence to get at the top of the class ended up in his underwear. His clothes disappeared while changing out of his gym clothes and even those vanished. No one ever found out who the culprit was even if they were all punished by their teacher. Majority agreed on one name but decided not to voice it out. They didn't want to be the next one to disappear.

Their classmates also kept their distance when they noticed Deidara's silence. It was a warning because normally, Deidara didn't shut up. And it was just Itachi's luck that today, they were having Arts.

He still had to face his father later and now he had to face the very-not-wonderful colors and shapes. He mentally groaned at the piles of art materials on their table that he shared with Sasori and Deidara. Even if he was blessed with almost every ability known to the human realm, he epically failed at Arts, along with some other things he really didn't do well.

His two friends didn't have any problems with it at all. Deidara was quite adept with molding clay which he used to cover his smoke bombs while Sasori was good at drawing and creating dolls. Itachi could barely draw something without it resembling a mutilated cockroach.

"We have a quiz on problem solving tomorrow, right? Looks like I have to be sick again," Deidara said while busy with his bird model.

"How could you get sick tomorrow? You just can't say that and actually be sick, unless you're some kind of scientist who cultivates disease bacterias," their classmate from the table to their right said.

Itachi stopped at his Picasso-attempt of a picture of a log cabin. Deidara really got sick every time he said that he would be. The doctor confirmed it and Itachi felt his high temperature when he went to the blond's house to deliver homework and activities. But the boy didn't look sick at all.

"I have my secret ways." Deidara grinned at their classmate.

The solution to his problem was just an arm's length away. Literally.

"Sasori, Deidara. Would you come by the house after class. I need some help with my mommy hunt." Itachi's eyes looked at the two with the glint that it had every time he had some great ideas running on his mind. And it was always exciting. Deidara and Sasori quickly nodded.

What was Itachi up to this time?

**oOoOo**

"I wonder how Itachi's doing."

Naruto wondered aloud as he chewed the rubber tip of his pencil. He hadn't received any call or text message from the boy since their last meeting five days ago. He was currently in his office doing some work because seeing Sasuke made him want to work. Maybe it was his dormant rivalry cells waking up? Better remember not to mention that to Tsunade or he'll have a room full of Sasuke's pictures or worst, be stuck with the actual person inside this place for Tsunade-knows how long.

That would be like forcing a cat to kiss a dog. Which they have already done.

He dropped the pencil when he face-palmed his face. Why did he have to remember that after hypnotizing himself in the mirror in forgetting that it ever happened? And denying was such a hard task.

"Okay. Stop thinking. It happened once upon a time in some far-away place so it's already good as it never happened," Naruto convinced himself. He picked another pencil to draw and bite with while thinking why he was thinking of him kissing Sasuke.

"Shit!" The tip of his pencil broke when he pressed it against the paper too hard. Denying about that kiss was too tiring, like the day when he was thirteen and denied that he had a zit the size of button in a remote control. His class picture proved him otherwise.

So, the kiss did happen. And he happened to have like that kiss too. It was wrong to feel that way for his male rival, wrong in different levels and ways. Naruto would just ignore the fact that the kiss was with Sasuke. Works fine for him. He was disrupted when his cellphone suddenly rang. He cursed when he didn't find it at his bag -it could be anywhere in his very messy office! The blond ran around, flipping and shifting things, looking for his accursed phone.

"Note to self; don't eat instant ramen with your phone around," Naruto muttered as he found his cell phone under the empty ramen cup. "And be a little more neat around my work area so I don't go running around like a coyote looking for prey." He quickly flipped it when he recognized who was calling

"Hello, Itachi how are you? I thought your father forbade you from contacting me again. We didn't exactly get along, with his shi-I mean difficult personality."

_"Same goes for you, dead last."  
_

"S-Sasuke? What the hell are you doing calling me with Itachi's number?" Hearing Sasuke's voice flooded his mind with memories of kissing him. There goes his self-denial.

_"I am his father and he's not really at the age where you give him total control of a cellphone." _

"So aside from insulting me, what do you need? You won't waste your time calling an idiot if you don't need something." Naruto sat at his desk and crossed his legs.

_"So you actually got a bit smarter. So its true that wisdom comes along with age." _The blond could just imagine that irritating smirk pasted on the other man's face.

"If you don't have anything to say that's actually important, I'll hang up. Unlike your holy asshole, I need to work to live."

_"Itachi's sick. Could you come over and visit him?"_

"Huh?"

_"I said Itachi's sick and-"_

"I heard that dumbass. I mean, why are you inviting me? You hate me, remember?"

_"My son wanted to see you and I'm not one to deny him that, especially when he's upset with me. I'm willing to overlook our differences for Itachi, Naruto."_

Naruto smiled at the frustration in Sasuke's voice. He was really willing to go that far? "I'll come."

_"And he obviously liked you so -you're coming?" _As obvious as Sasuke's surprise.

"Yes. I'm doing this for Itachi. After all, half of him is from Sakura and he's not that bad of a kid. Text me the directions."

_"I'll just pick you up in front of the park. You might get lost with your geographic skills. Meet me there in thirty minutes."_

"Wai-Sasuke! Don't just cut me in, you bastard!" Yelling at the phone was useless when there was no one to listen on the other line. Naruto sighed and closed his phone.

Naruto would just have to give that man a piece of his mind when they meet later.

* * *

**+ TBC +**

**

* * *

**

The next one won't take as longer as this. Definitely.


	9. Mommy Hunt o9

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto calls the shot behind Naruto and its characters. I own nothing but the plot.

Yup, this took much longer and I'm forgetting how to write. Thanks to the people that's still there even if I'm kind of dead to the fanfiction world. And sorry, again. I'm not making any promises until I finish this story. I don't know much about this chapter but hope you enjoy. It's not long because I can't manage writing long chapters. Orz;;;

I'm not confident with my grammar right now so mistakes (errors) are littering. Forgiveness is asked.

On to the mountains.

* * *

+Mommy Hunt o9+

"Deidara, are you sure that this would work?" Itachi warily eyed the bowl of garlic cloves. The trio was currently inside his bedroom sitting on his bed and discussing their current plan to convince Itachi's father to change his mind.

"Of course!" The small blond nodded his head enthusiastically. "This never failed me all those times."

Sasori picked up one clove from the bowl and examined it closely. "Where did you get this idea?"

"From the TV show that my mom forces me to watch so I could learn some moral lessons that would be useful when I get a child of my own so my kid won't turn out like me, or she says," Deidara replied with a shrug, "It was an episode where this girl hates going to school and does a lot of stuff to avoid going to classes. She did this technique and I copied it from that."

"Aren't there any more options…for example, something less smelly?" Itachi looked at Sasori with pleading eyes. Consulting Deidara first didn't exactly turn out as successful as what he had on his mind. Sasori shrugged his shoulders and continued his inspection of the garlic, thoroughly examining the curves and the points. He knew some alternatives of his own but his curiosity over the effectiveness of Deidara's technique had outweighed his desire to help Itachi.

"You could always try acting having a broken bone or sprained ankle though you would easily get discovered. How about breaking something for real? That would definitely work out well," Deidara suggested.

Itachi didn't want the troubles of injuries and illnesses and get sent to a hospital –he hated hospitals. That place with overly white walls and the antiseptic smell that clings to your nose even after days you already left its premises, he hated that. And he hated being confined and fiddled with medicines and instruments and he hated it more because it reminded him that when he was sick, he was weak. But he had to make an exception this time and do it; dreams could only be realized when you work hard for it.

"Let's get this over with quickly," Itachi said with a resigned tone.

Deidara nodded and explained the mechanics of his 'garlic-fever' with his usual excited tone. It consisted of putting the smelly herb in your armpits for a long period of time to supposedly increase your body temperature. "And presto! You have an instant fever minus the discomforts that comes along with an actual one, yeah!"

He could do this. This was a simple, _smelly_ price to pay to get what he wanted and besides, this would be a small thing compared to what he would be able to get once he succeeded. He just felt a little bad for the lying that he would do. He sighed and checked the clock, which told him that he only had five more hours until his father arrived home. He had to make this work.

"Let's start this thing."

* * *

"I'm home."

Sasuke sighed at the lack of reply and locked the door behind him. He took his jacket off and placed it in the couch along with his suitcase before going to the kitchen along with his take-out meal. He quickly set the table and laid the food in plates. He was sure that Itachi was still upset to head out to dinner willingly so he went to the boy's bedroom. He called him but after knocking and receiving no answer, he opened the door.

"Itachi?"

"Dad," Itachi greeted him with a very hoarse voice. The boy coughed sneezed and coughed alternately, clutching the quilt covering him tightly, shivering despite the thickness of the wool. Sasuke retrieved the digital thermometer that Itachi used earlier to see if he was going down with a fever. The older man frowned at the temperature reading and was sure that a trip to the hospital was not in his options.

"39.5 degrees. Are you sure that you don't want to go to the hospital? You might have something worst than the actual fever," Sasuke asked Itachi, looking at his son very worriedly.

"I'll just get sicker in that place." Itachi said grumpily. He sneezed and quickly grabbed the box of tissues on his bedside table and blew his nose hard, silently cursing the evil that was the Corona virus.

Sasuke examined the boy carefully, looking for any signs of faking an illness –he knew how crafty Itachi could be at times –but so far, he had not found any.

"Rest. I'll be in the kitchen preparing some sort of food for the sick that you could easily digest." Sasuke patted the boy's head before exiting the room and going to the kitchen. He quickly got his cell phone and dialed his mother's number and once it picked up, he hurriedly told her the situation.

_'I want to go down there but I'm still in this family meeting and all the servants are busy with the preparations for the party the day after. Oh dear, where's a doctor relative when you need one?' _Mikoto's voice was clearly agitated.

"You know Itachi hates hospitals and doctors the worst," Sasuke said, rubbing his forehead. "Just tell me what to do." He listened dutifully to his mother.

"You want me to cook? You know I can't –no, I'm not questioning your knowledge mother. I might make his situation a lot worst."

_'You have to. His throat is probably sore from his cold, the poor child. His sense of taste would be bland and he won't be able to swallow easily. I'll quickly run over there after this darn meeting. Hang on in there, Sasuke.'_

"I'll try. Thank you, mom." Sasuke put his phone aside and started to get to work. He printed out some instructions from the internet and alternated on reading and mixing the proper ingredients, rechecking every small detail. When he was satisfied with the color and the consistency, he removed the pot from the stove and placed some of the food in a bowl to cool for a bit. It tasted saltier than what was probably normal but he decided that it was not bad enough.

He brought it along with a glass and pitcher of water and some medicine and felt proud when his son finished all of the porridge but that didn't last when ten minutes later, the boy was throwing up in the sink. Sasuke helped Itachi to his feet and guided him to his bedroom, gently placing the boy on his bed. He wiped him off with a wet cloth and placed some strip of Kool fever on his forehead, looking more worried, and guiltier, than he had.

"Everything tastes like soggy newspaper when you're sick," Itachi said. He really didn't taste much of the food his father prepared but his stomach certainly didn't like it. He was a bit thankful for the dull sense of taste that he currently had. "I think some sleep would make me feel better."

"Rest well."

Itachi gave him a small nod before closing his eyes and finally, drifting off to sleep. Sasuke replaced the cooling strip every ten minutes, adjusted the room's temperature and changed him out of his clothes when it got too soaked with perspiration. Itachi twisted and turned on his bed uncomfortably before finally calming down. Sasuke heard him whisper one word.

"Naruto."

Sasuke checked everything before leaving and he took one last look at the sleeping boy and with a sigh, he closed the door. He spent the next forty minutes pacing around his living room and for the first time, he doubted his decision. He always believed that his choices were always for the best but now, he was having second thoughts if he was actually doing the right thing by preventing his son from seeing Naruto again. He was like those evil wizards who prevented every one's happiness, even his own child's.

And Sasuke had to make a choice, not based on what he thought was right but based on what would make Itachi happy. With that in mind, he picked up the cell phone that he gave Itachi to contact him for emergency purposes though he had a hunch that it was being used for purposes that exactly didn't fall in the category of crisis. And sure enough, he found out what he was looking for. As he stared at the name and numbers, he could not decide if he should be proud of how smart and resourceful his son turned out to be; Itachi might be too much for his, and Sasuke's, own good.

Little did he know that Itachi's knowledge consisted of what was exactly good for his father.

* * *

Naruto admired the fine piece of Mercedes that stopped in front of him. If he was correct, it was one of the newest models under that expensive label of automobile, based from the covers of the magazines that he sometimes scanned during his breaks. He wanted to drive one but he was realistic enough to know that his salary could not support the before and after expenses that always came with high-end cars so he would be content with just driving it around town for one day.

"Are you going to stare all day?"

Somehow, the car didn't seem as admirable as it was before he discovered who was the owner of the high-priced vehicle—one bastard with a high and mighty attitude. Maybe he'll just stare at it until both the person and his transportation device disappeared from his sight. Or he could just ride, get on with his business and run off with the car later.

Naruto frowned at Sasuke but didn't say anything as he got in the passenger's seat quietly. And he decided to stay silent for the rest of the trip since he really didn't want to open his mouth right now; once he opened it and let out a sound, he was sure that it would cause him more embarrassment in front of Sasuke's face, which he already had enough. Love-wise, dress-wise and kiss—better not mention the last one—and other thing-wise.

"I never thought that you could actually remain quiet."

"I'm simply ignoring you. How's Itachi's doing?" Naruto crossed his arms and kept his eyes glued to the window.

"He has a fever. Or are you simply speechless about the kiss, Naruto?" Naruto saw through the rear view mirror the insulting smirk that Sasuke had on. "I didn't know you go around in drags and kissed guys."

The blond chose not to speak anymore. As hard it was for his manly ego to digest, he already had accepted the fact that he liked the kiss-because a psychiatrist once said that acceptance was important in the road of forgetting- and he wished to bury everything in his unconsciousness. Naruto didn't make any sort of sharp comeback; the wise gains wisdom trough silence and the fool loses his in pointless speeches.

Naruto was not surprised when they entered a high-class neighborhood and parked in front of an expensive-looking apartment building. Naruto could not help but think how lucky Sasuke was for having everything that one could possibly asked for; even the woman that Naruto wanted the most. He had had his share of relationships in the past years but no one ever matched the feelings that he had for Sakura.

"Itachi's waiting so get out of the car." The lawyer opened the door impatiently and motioned the blond to follow him.

"You didn't have to open the door like I'm sort of woman!" Naruto said irritated. He stepped out of the car and followed Sasuke.

As they rode the elevator, the blond silently prayed that Sasuke didn't live in a penthouse like other rich bastards. He let out a sigh of relief when they stopped at the fifth floor. He excused himself as he entered the man's home, which occupied the entire floor. After pointing him towards the living room, Sasuke quickly disappeared in one of the doors and left Naruto alone, who quickly got bored of sitting and decided to snoop around the house for a bit.

The decor was typically minimalist with white, black and a splash of navy blue, with a few pieces of furniture and shelves around. The walls were painted with geometrical outline of squares connected together. His attention was caught by a collection of framed pictures grouped together on top of a cabinet. He looked at them closer and saw that they were mostly pictures of Itachi; Itachi with his grandparents, with his friends at school and a few were with Sasuke. He saw the familiar color of pink at the back of all the photos and took it out in the light.

It was a picture of Sasuke, Sakura and an infant which he recognized as Itachi. The pink-headed woman was cradling the small boy in her arms, sitting on a hospital bed with her husband by her bedside. Naruto could see how proud Sasuke was and he even had a small smile on his face, which was rare as a rainbow in summer for the man to do.

But something was amiss with Sakura's face; she looked as beautiful as always though a bit tired but that was not it. He squinted his eyes and frowned when he realized what was missing—the contented maternal look that every mother he knew always had when they were holding their babies. And her eyes, her eyes lacked the sparkle that always drew Naruto in, that look that she had every time she was with Sasuke. She had given up on love.

"Naruto?"

The blond almost dropped the picture out of surprise. He turned around and saw both Sasuke and Itachi standing in the room, both of their eyes looking at him. Naruto immediately returned the item back to its place before Sasuke discovered what he was holding.

"Naruto."

"Itachi!" Naruto greeted the small boy. "Wow, you look like you're heading for the drains."

"I'm fin—achoo!" Itachi grabbed a tissue from the box that he was carrying and blew his nose hard. Sasuke guided his son to the sofa, with Naruto following behind with a skeptical look on his face. He took the single seat sofa across the boy.

"I'll get you an orange juice; what would you like, Naruto?" Sasuke asked the blond with an expression that resembled a man suffering from constipation, or at least that was how his face appeared in Naruto's opinion.

"You don't need to force yourself but since you offered anything that doesn't have laxative or poison, thank you."

"I don't think anything could affect your stomach that's made of steel."

"You still have that thing stuck up your ass, haven't you?"

"And you still have the brain of the idiotic six year old I've met," Sasuke replied. The two of them exchanged glares before he retreated into the kitchen. Naruto blew him a raspberry, slumping in his seat with his cheeks puffed out. He noticed Itachi looking at him questioningly with eyes that seemed to belong to a thirty-year old than a five year old child.

"What?"

"Dad rarely reacts like that with other people," Itachi commented. "He either glares, smirks or ignore someone."

"Really? I thought that was his built-in reaction." Naruto scratched his head. "I guess he plainly hates me."

"But do you?" Itachi inquired. "Do you hate him?"

"Not really. I just think that he's an annoying bastard. Did you know I offered him my great hand of friendship when we were younger? He just called me a dobe." Naruto paused. "I wonder if I might have worsened it by attacking and ruining his suit."

"You were childhood friends? He never told me that."

"We spent a lot of our time arguing who's the better man. He would not want you to know that I kicked his ass so bad."

"Really." Itachi said with a small smirk. "Does your employer know that you'll be here?"

"I told her secretary that I'm going out. The old hag's busy with yelling at the nurses after feeding a patient who had an extreme allergic reaction to peanuts. The man's whole body swelled and almost died."

"Are you a nurse?"

"The patient I'm handling will probably kill himself if I was the nurse assigned to him because I don't really deal well with old coots. I like children better. And doctors are kind of annoying, telling you everything you have to do. I was never a good patient myself."

"Then I won't worry about getting a dress to hide you from your pursuers again."

"I don't like doctors too. They make me feel…useless, like I really can't do anything by myself." Itachi surprised himself with his own admission; that was more information he would have told someone that he had only known for days. Itachi even has limitations with his own father. It was so easy talking with Naruto, with his expressive face and friendly, infectious grin. He liked the feeling of being at ease when he was Naruto; he could just talk and not worry on how he would appear to him.

"I know, right? They have some sort of god-complex and think that they hold your life with a mighty leash with their hands. Most of the ones I know at least," Naruto said, tucking his legs Indian-style on the settee. "I do volunteer work for the main hospital here. I have some background in Psychology so I help out in the trauma rehabilitation center in Midori Hospital, which is under Tsunade's supervision so the staff is fine."

"At least you've left her some note of sorts. I don't think I could provide you with another dress when those men come chasing after you again."

"You are your father's son; I'm definitely sure of that."

* * *

Sasuke had been pretending to do work to get an excuse to listen to the other two's conversation, hoping to find something that would ban Naruto form ever seeing Itachi again. As far as his uninvited listening (because he was not eavesdropping; eavesdropping are for idiots who couldn't make themselves oblivious enough to listen uninvited) was concerned, he still hadn't got dirt over Naruto. The blond mostly talked about bits and pieces of his life and the people he met. Itachi didn't look as if he minded the somewhat one-sided conversation with Naruto doing all the talking.

"Some of the kids at the center don't trust other people, especially adults," Naruto said. "They were either orphaned, abandoned or victims of cruelty so they're hard to deal with; orphanages and shelters refused to accept them because of their attitudes. It pisses me off, you know? When they just go around telling that all humans are worthless and they should all just die; makes me want to smack the sense back to their heads."

Sasuke knew that Naruto always had a soft spot for people and animals so it didn't surprise him that the blond worked at a hospital. Naruto develop more compassion for orphaned children because of what happened to his mother when he was nine years old. Sasuke genuinely liked Kushina because of her warm and vibrant personality, which contrasted to his own mother's personality though the two got along quite well. The mother and son had an outing that say that day that was only supposed to last for a few hours. By night, the two still haven't returned by night and could not be contacted by phone; Naruto's father quickly ordered a search rescue for his wife and son.

Kushina had been murdered while Naruto had been injured gravely. The incident was reported but pictures or video footage had been forbidden; even the words used on the report were carefully screened. Sasuke didn't know who the murderer was even though he had been caught by the police and information about the man and the trial was also censored although, as the wish of Kushina's husband. This decision was met with protests because of Kushina's popularity as a clothing and accessories designer and a philanthropist although the decision remained as is.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when his mother, Mikoto, suddenly entered the apartment carrying bags of items.

"Sasuke how's Itachi? I've brought some food, medicine and blankets. Would you help m—oh my, is that you, Naruto?"

"Hi Aunt Mikoto," Naruto greeted, a sheepish smile appearing on his face. The older woman quickly dropped the object she was carrying and briskly walked towards the seated blond, embracing the young man she had not seen for years. Naruto winced at the tight hold of the woman.

"Naruto, you sly little boy." Mikoto wiped her misty eyes as she released Naruto from the hug. "Why didn't you inform me that you were going home even though we chat? Really, I should be feeling bad about that."

"I'm sorry. I've been in and out of Konoha because of work. You know how the old hag is such a slave-driver."

"Naruto, you should use respect when talking about your elders!" Mikoto scolded him, telling him off like a three-year old. "Have you been eating right? You look too short and thin for your age."

Sasuke watched as his mother fussed over Naruto like a mother. If he was of a lesser man, he would have been jealous over the attention Mikoto was bestowing the blond and ignoring her own son. Thankfully, his talent as a human is at a different level than average people so he didn't feel jealousy. And he didn't feel any sympathy for Naruto bring nagged to death by his mother; Naruto's pain was his joy.

Due to his mother's invitation, Naruto stayed for dinner and ended up staying for the night too, all without Sasuke's consent. The blond had also been invited to the party that would be taking place in the Uchiha's main ground the next day after, with Sasuke being Naruto's driver, again without his consent. Mikoto knew that Sasuke wasn't fond of the loud blond but she was intent on making them the best of friends, just like how she and Kushina had been with each other.

The raven-haired man didn't really had the heart to break his mother's hope of seeing Sasuke and Naruto wearing the ring of eternal friendship and skipping towards the future, holding hands, chasing fluffy-tailed rabbits in the clichéd fields of colorful flowers under the clear blue sky decorated with a rainbow. That idea of that and him holding hands was not appealing under any circumstances; especially in that kind of setting. The mental image _definitely_ wasn't appealing.

After dinner, Sasuke accompanied Itachi back to his room to get more rest while Naruto and Mikoto settle in the living room to chat, catching up as much as they could from the last three years, it lasted for quite a time until the doorbell rang, revealing the older woman's mother driver who told her that her husband was expecting her home.

Sasuke, followed by Naruto, saw her to the door. "Naruto-kun, I better see you at the party, okay?" Mikoto reminded the blond. "Sasuke will escort you so you won't get lost like last time. And Sasuke, you will be at the party," she said with a no-nonsense tone. Satisfied with the two's agreement, she both gave them a kiss on the forehead and waved them goodbye.

"Could you tell her that aliens abducted me for experiment so I wasn't able to attend?" Naruto asked in a hopeful voice. The only reply he got was a stare that clearly conveyed the words 'Are you an idiot'? "Guess that means no."

Naruto went back inside to grab his bag and returned by the door, taking a seat on the elevated part to tie his shoes.

"Where are you going?"

"Uhmm, heading home?"

"You're staying here," Sasuke said with finality.

"Are you actually inviting me to stay the night?" The blond looked at Sasuke as if the lawyer suddenly had three faces with extra four arms and was now currently dancing the hula. "I think I'm seeing you with extra body parts; I'm definitely hallucinating."

"Stop being an idiot and stop asking questions with obvious answers."

"Obvious? Like you actually care for me and love that you don't want me to wander in the dark to get eaten by zombies?"

Sasuke sighed and swept his hair back; he forgot that obvious in the blond's dictionary equaled something foreign and alien to the Uchiha world.

"No. Taxi cabs are not allowed here during this time, I'm too tired to drive wherever you live and I can't leave Itachi here all alone. I don't want the trouble of finding you lying in a dark alley with a knife sticking out of your body."

"Thanks for the very caring advice," Naruto said sarcastically. He stood up and went to the door.'

"I told you to stay."

"And when did I ever listen to you? And if you are using your eyes, you could see I'm male."

"Of course you don't listen to anyone who obviously knows better than you. Go ahead; get yourself killed because of your hard head." Sasuke turned his back, annoyed at the stupidity of the bond. Of course, Naruto was a far cry from being a girl; but perverts tend to come in different forms, sizes and levels of psychosis. Although, Naruto would've passed perfectly as a woman with the proper disguise…Sasuke's cheeks felt warmer than before. It was probably a warm breeze that managed to sneak from somewhere in the closed space.

"I guess I deserve to die for not listening." Naruto quietly closed the door, leaving a puzzled Uchiha behind.

"Dad, it's not nice to say things like that." Itachi appeared with a big frown on his face.

"He started it." Sasuke sounded childish, even to himself. And it didn't help one bit when the expression on the child's face was very disapproving and reminded Sasuke of a parent who was not happy with what their child did.

"Just go back to your room and stay there until I drag that dobe back here."

Sasuke grabbed his coat and the key to his motorcycle before heading out to retrieve the blond misfit. The things you as father rarely went along with the lines of enjoyment and a nice visit to the outside without fan girls stalking you.

* * *

Humans probably have the idiot genes imprinted in their DNA; Naruto believed in that whether people wholeheartedly agreed or vehemently argued. It was just a matter of learning to repress it so you could go on with your life like a sensible and responsible person; that's why humans have the wonders of the highly-developed brains, which regretfully don't appear as highly used as it's supposed to be. And that's when this recessive trait sneaks out from its hiding place, making your inner idiot shine spectacularly. It appears on the most inopportune of times.

Naruto learned three important lessons from the best teacher that ever existed; Experience, with all of its mastery of the ways and irony of human life, especially Uzumaki Naruto:

1) Listen to insulting bastards. When you thing he's wrong, he's usually right.

2) If you come by a car, you don't walk back. Not ever. Unless you wanted the very much unwanted attention of weirdoes

3) Perverts apply to all gender and age. It's not just girls in danger of it; gender equality means equal in all aspects.

There was only one catch when you are under the tutelage of the great Experience; it showed its greatness by making you learn in irony. So, here he was, lost and in the danger of being the next nameless body to appear somewhere in the newspaper tomorrow because of a woman and her three hulking men-bitches.

It started innocently with Naruto asking for directions; he approached the redheaded woman and then she started flirting with him. Naruto entertained her advances but didn't do anything to show that he was interested in spending the night with her. If it was some other night, he might have been interested—the woman was beautiful with a smoking hot body—but Sasuke's words still bothered him greatly.

"You know, you're really handsome so I would really like to have sex with you. Of course, I know you want too, right? 'Coz I'm so hot and so gorgeous," She purred as she latched on Naruto's right arm and 'accidentally' brushed her generous chest that was popping out of her red tank-top.

"You are beautiful but I don't think I could satisfy you. I'm kind of distracted right now." He tried to pry the woman's hold on him gently but it got tighter, the sharp nails digging to his skin. Her expression seemed to change and her weir expression had alarm bells ringing in Naruto's head. He quickly tried to think of an excuse.

"Ah, you see I'm in the seminary and I'm really working hard to be a priest. I would not like to ruin my chances of serving by indulging in erm, physical desires," Naruto said with a very sincere smile, mentally apologizing to all priests for using their names in his lies. Of course, he was far from being pure of body and mind ever since he learned that babies didn't come from burying pictures of two people together and 69 didn't mean the same when used in Playboy and porn.

"Oh, that's quite alright. You won't have fun once you're ordained and besides," Her smile became sultrier, "I think you will forgive this naughty girl, won't you, Father?"

"Okay, you're hotter-than-jalapeno, point taken; I'm really flattered and all, but I don't really want to have sex with you. I'm sure you'll enjoy your night more with your…friends?"

"I always get what I want, _always._"

Naruto wanted to laugh at how the three men cracked their fists loudly, like they were in a scene where the protagonist was going to be beaten to a pulp. Laughing might make them beat him to a very fine powder though; with their muscles bulging out like Sylvester Stallone, he didn't have any doubt that they will do a very fine job of that.

Now, if he could just have some sidekick appear and help him beat out the bad guys, he was sure that he was in an action movie. Please, let him have a worthy sidekick and by worthy, he meant that one who could put these guys sleeping with the fishes. He heard the distant sound of a motorcycle engine somewhere.

His legs got caught as he continued backing out and he found himself cornered and sitting on a bench. Surprisingly, someone yanked him by his arm and Naruto's face was suddenly smothered by fabric. He felt warm air brush against his right ear and the words "Just play along" and his lips were covered by another pair.

He gasped when his lower lip was bitten and this was taken advantage of the other person, snaking his tongue against Naruto's and coaxing it to respond. Hesitantly, the blond closed his eyes and looped his arms around the other's shoulders and tentatively moved, copying the motions that the other person did. His heart was beating so hard; if it was from the kiss or the fright from the earlier encounter, he didn't know. Hands wrapped on the small of his back and pulled him closer against the hard, masculine body that smelled of fresh morning.

It felt familiar, just like their earlier kiss. He remembered during that night when he was drunk and Sasuke and Sakura just announced their engagement. The kiss broke and Naruto felt his cheeks heat up despite the cold when those black eyes stared back at him.

"That's why I told you to stay. You tend to attract the wrong sort of crowds."

* * *

Meanwhile, Itachi sneezed hard and his nose itched, probably from his cold. Never trust Deidara to do anything according to his own plan. He was sure that his father and Naruto would coming home later; he was looking forward in eating something that was not made by his father. He realized that things would be much easier if his dad and Naruto liked each other; everything would just follow suit.

Next step: Operation Matchmaking, Uchiha Itachi style.

* * *

+TBC+

* * *

And yes, apparently I've developed some liking (obsession) over random kisses. Blame anime influence. xD The garlic thing...I tried it once but I just felt warm. And smelly.


	10. Mommy Hunt 10

**: : : : :**

+Mommy Hunt 10+

**: : : : :**

* * *

It seemed to have been the best idea—brilliant even, in Naruto's own opinion—if _this_ did not happen.

Now, he and Sasuke ended up face-to-face with just a forefinger's width separating them, squished in the narrow alley. In an earlier attempt to extricate himself from their position, the left sleeve of his jacket snagged Sasuke's belt buckle and it refused to budge despite the hard pulling he had been doing for the past minutes.

"You shouldn't have called her an ugly bitch," Naruto said, still desperately trying to remove his hand from its awkward position. "Her cronies were made of muscle, like Schwarzenegger, dude. They will use our poor bones as toothpick."

"You didn't have to run away."

"I still love my life, thank you. And remember, you still have a son waiting for you."

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, then spoke. "You should just have stayed at the apartment."

"Are we going to start this shit again?" Naruto rolled his eyes, quelling the urge to argue with Sasuke. "Blame me after we got out of this damn alley;I think I'm developing claustrophobia already. Now stay still as I get my hand off your pants, er—belt, whatever!"

"I know a lot of people who would like to get in my pants." The blond could practically hear the smug smirk that _certainly_ accompanied those words.

"Are you offering? No thank you."

A beam of light suddenly flooded the alley.

"What are you guys doing?"

: : : : :

Itachi drifted off sometime after Sasuke left and woke up later, feeling a whole lot better. There was still the dull throbbing of his head but at least, he could stand steadily and walk without leaning on to something for support. The thought of not going to the hospital that he hated so much made him feel a lot more better.

His stomach rumbled, complaining of how little food it had to digest due to his sickness. Itachi stood up and left his bedroom to go into the kitchen. He immediately noticed the lack of lighting in the rest of the house, indicating that his father still hasn't come back.

The digital wall clock displayed 1:08; Sasuke left the apartment around 10 pm. Did they get into some kind of trouble?

Itachi went back to his room and looked for his cell phone. He first dialed his father's number and heard the ringtone assigned for him playing from somewhere inside the house. He tried Naruto's number next but only got an out of service reply. He was getting more and more worried.

The sound of ringing broke him away from his worrying thoughts. Itachi ran as fast as he could and took a head-on dive towards the sofa, quickly grabbing the cordless phone from its cradle.

"Hello?" Itachi was breathless when he answered.

_"Itachi, how are you feeling?"_

"Dad." Relief flooded him upon hearing his father's voice. "I'm up and walking and the fever have finally subsided. Where are you?"

_"Naruto got us into trouble. Again."_ The boy could hear the blond protest—_"did not! You were the one who called her an ugly bitch"_—then, arguing and the sound of the phone being grabbed.

_"Hey Itachi!"_ Naruto greeted him cheerfully. _"How are ya feelin'?"_

"Hi Naruto. I'm feeling quite alright now; I'm not sure about you and dad though."

_"Nah, we're fine as can be. We just had a little run-in with the cops and are now staying here in a precinct until someone fetches us out of here…"_

"I don't think it qualifies as 'fine' when you are involved with cops."

_"Trust me; we're good. It's just a little misunderstanding between them and us. I'll tell you about it…like ten years later when I'm old enough to laugh at it. Oh, Sasuke's having those dark clouds above his head again."_ Naruto snickered. _"I'll give him the phone."_

_"That damn idiot. Itachi, you know where my citizenship card is placed right?"_

"Third drawer left of your table."

_"Can you get it? Along with my professional ID. Someone will come there and get them so we can leave this place."_

"I understand." There was a pause and the familiar sound of the phone being pulled away. Sure enough, the next voice Itachi heard was Naruto's.

_"I'm sorry."_ He said, his voice lowered into an almost whisper. _"Sasuke should've been there with you, taking care of you and helping you get better faster. I'm really sorry, Itachi."_

"You don't have to apologize. Dad said something really insensitive; he should be the one doing the apologizing, not you. And it's not your fault I got sick. It was because of that Deidara.

Naruto laughed. "A sorry from your high-and-mighty father? I think there's more chance of a lightning hitting me than me hearing that word from Sasuke's mouth. The one coming there, her name's Shizune. Pretty with short black hair. So, just wait there and don't overexert yourself so you don't get worse. Take care and see ya later."

"Thanks. The same goes for you and dad."

**: : : : :**

"For the last time, that bastard and I were not trying to have public sex! We weren't even doing anything remotely sexual in the first place." Naruto pounded his fists on the desk, glaring at the police who was playing a computer game that shoots a ball into a line of colorful balls.

"Sir, we found you both stuck in the alley with your hands on your partner's belt and your jacket halfway off your torso." The police officer looked at the blond. "Unless you two were playing some kind of strip poker without the cards and in the dark, I can't release you two without proper identification on you."

"But that guy over there is the real Uchiha Sasuke! See the bird-butt style of hair and the pale skin and eternally-pissed off look?"

The man looked at Sasuke, his eyes clearly conveying the message that he might do something to the blond if Sasuke didn't stop the annoying blond. Sasuke just acted as the mature adult that he was and let Naruto annoy the hell out of the police man. He had his own way of payback.

Naruto and Sasuke have been here in this precinct for almost two hours now. When they were brought here, Sasuke introduced himself as Uchiha Sasuke and patiently explained that the whole situation was just a big pile of misunderstanding.

However, his introduction was met with laughter; apparently, a lot of people engaged in questionable activities found the name Uchiha Sasuke quite useful for business and escaping the authorities-the smarter ones that actually did their research and went on to use every available physical-altering product there is to resemble the real man, at least.

With no identification to back them, no one would (and wanted) to believe that they just got stuck in an alley and had their hands on the wrong places at the wrong time. Naruto, being Naruto, of course didn't have his ID and Sasuke left his driver's license in the motorcycle when the two of them ran from the psycho woman's buddies decided that they were meat of the night when the black-haired man called their mistress an 'ugly bitch'.

The only thing that probably saved the men who worked in this precinct was Naruto's interruption. The blond, sensing the murderous cloud forming around Sasuke, asked very loudly if he could use the phone to make some call.

Naruto even recited the article and section that covered his rights as a citizen under suspicions of breaking the law, which somehow impressed Sasuke; at least, all those time that he spent under their elementary school's policy of 'no student is an island' tutoring Naruto was not wasted.

_"You guys will sure regret not listening to us." _ Naruto grinned at the police confidently. The men took it as a challenge and didn't put the two in the detaining cell so they could enjoy the two 'homos' humiliation when there was really nothing to prove and they were just some faggots who didn't care for anything but having sex in whatever place available.

Morons. If Sasuke ever –**EVER**, being the key word, written in bold and capitalized form for emphasis –had some hypothetical sex with Naruto the dobe, it surely wouldn't be in some narrow alley where you could barely breathe, much less do something as athletic as having sex.

After thirty minutes of whining and complaining in that specific annoying tone of his voice, the man Naruto had been pestering finally snapped and threatened to throw the blond in the cell if he continued with the disturbance. Naruto just offered the officer a grin and offered the man a mock-salute before standing up and making his way to the area where Sasuke was seated.

"That was very mature, Naruto. At what exact time is the person picking us up arriving?"

"Just sit there and act like the cool guy that everybody thinks you are. Shizune-neechan will be here…oh wait, she's here." Naruto stood up and raised both of his arms high, waving enthusiastically at the smiling woman through the see-through glass doors. "Even Itachi's here. Heeeyyyy!"

"Stop shouting."

Shizune and Itachi entered, with the woman proceeding to the front desk and Itachi heading straight to where his father was. He was going to reprimand Itachi for coming along when the child was still recovering from his sickness but when he saw that Itachi was appropriately dressed and had no signs of relapsing whatsoever, he decided to let it go.

Sasuke would be lying if he said that his mental fretting was finally put at ease when he saw that Itachi was really fine, that his son was up and moving fine. As soon as the boy came nearer, he put the back of his hand against Itachi's forehead.

"You're a little warm."

"That's probably because of the clothes." Itachi popped the buttons of his jacket open so Sasuke could see the thick shirt he was also wearing. "I have two shirts this thick and two boxers on. I even have the horrid Christmas-themed knee-length socks Deidara gave me on New Year.

"Shizune-neechan always makes sure that her work is fine up to the last detail." Naruto interrupted them. He gently pulled Itachi's hat to ruffle the boy's hair, and then enveloped the boy in a hug.

Sasuke didn't miss the look of surprise, then the small smile that replaced it. Itachi responded with by placing one of his arms around the blond's shoulder awkwardly, not quite sure if he was doing the right thing.

Itachi wasn't an affectionate person by nature (a trait that he inherited from his father) so it wasn't surprising that he wasn't expressive with his own emotions and felt awkward when dealing with others that was not his grandmother being overly affectionate with him. Well, others that were not his grandmother and Naruto, apparently.

And on that part, was where the importance of having and growing up with a mother enters the equation. Sasuke would not have survived his younger years under his father's influence without his mother's emotional support and love. There were times that maybe if he had not filed those divorce papers and went ahead with the divorce, if he had just tried harder to make his marriage work, he and Itachi won't be like this—his son, without a mother and him, burdened with the dilemmas of being a single father.

He would have had a better life; no juggling in between part-time jobs with tiring law school because his father refused to pay due to the disappointment in his son's divorce; no three hours of sleep everyday so he could get up in time for everything; no court appearances, no press, no _shitty _ things.

Sasuke would have been there, when Itachi said his first word, took his first step and celebrated his first year—those firsts he should've seen firsthand, instead of hearing from Mikoto and babysitters. Sasuke would have had more time, more than that one Monday that was supposed to be his free day that he uses to compensates for the rest of the week that he misses with his son.

Everything would have been so much easier.

But because Sasuke took those steps, Itachi didn't have to grow up in a miserable family environment and live under his grandfather's rules. Itachi had the options and choices that were never presented to Sasuke at that age, because he had no right to choose in the first place. His son had been freed of that.

And Sasuke was free.

There was no doubting the lengths he would go running and taking for his son. If having the idiot blond around made his son smile, so be it. And if diving into the perilous world of dating and women gave Itachi what he wanted, so be it.

If Sasuke knew just how Naruto was what Itachi exactly wanted, it just might save him the difficulties of looking to far. That or it just might create a whole new set of fatherly dilemmas.

**: : : : :**

He was the last the person Naruto expected to see standing by the door with the same kind, accepting expression that man always wore.

Naruto kept the myriad of emotions he felt out of his face, hoping that the expression on his face didn't betray any of those feelings out. Even after all of these years, there was still that little part of Naruto that was happy, that part that wanted to run and hug his father. He hated that part.

"What are you doing here?"

"It is a father's job to make sure his child gets out of trouble, no matter what kind it is." Minato smiled as if there was nothing wrong with the situation. "I think it's in reverse here for Sasuke though."

Minato's words triggered _that_ memory again

_"I'm sorry dad." It still pained him to speak because of the deep cuts on his cheek but he wanted to talk to his dad. "It really, really hurt when he cut me up and then mommy was crying and she told me to run...I didn't want to but she..she..." _

_He couldn't help the tears that fell out of his eyes. _

_[please tell me it wasn't my fault. tell me dad, tell me that it wasn't]_

_Naruto clutched at his father's leg, small hands gripping, wrinkling the fabric of the slacks that the older man was wearing. He looked up desperately at his father, eyes seeking reassurance that he will still be there for Naruto even if it was really all of his fault._

_"Tsunade, could you take Naruto to his room? I don't need him here."_

_His father sounded so cold and distant, reinforcing that feeling in him that his father did blame him for the loss of Kushina. _

_Naruto looked up and suddenly let go. His father seemed so distant, so cold and he didn't want anything to do with Naruto. He quickly turned around and ran, not minding how his small body hurts when he bumped into the adults gathered because his heart felt a thousand times more painful than his physical injuries. _

_His father turned Naruto away when he needed him the most.  
_

_And he never looked back. It was just him, alone.  
_

At the memory, Naruto's hand went to one of his scarred cheeks, absently tracing the whisker-like etchings on his face and completely missing the change on the other blond's face.

Most of the people he met thought that the marks in his cheeks were simply decorations to express his individuality, to stand out from the crowd. He didn't bother correcting them; the significance of something that reminded you of painful memories would be lost on them.

_"You have pretty eyes...I bet they'll stand out more when you're all covered in blood."_

Pain. Blood, lots of red, red blood and more more pain. Red painted him, painted his mother and everything else.

The lingering memory was so strong that Naruto felt as if he was back to that time again. The sensation made bile rise on his throat, leaving him feeling so sick he wanted to throw up.

Naruto dashed into the bathroom, barely making it to the first stall when he threw up. The sound of retching filled the whole bathroom, bouncing through the tiled walls. He threw up until he could feel the emptiness of his stomach.

He leaned against the wall of the stall as he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. This was more tiring than running away.

There was a tentative knock on the door, which he fortunately remembered to lock—he didn't want anyone seeing him having this kind of episode.

"Naruto?" It was Itachi. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Naruto's voice sounded weak. "Just give five minutes to fix myself."

"The officers are going to release you and Dad." The next statement sounded hesitant. "Minato-san left. Dad said that you stay the night."

It was a struggle for him to get up and go to the sink. He washed his hands and splashed some water on his face. The reflection on the mirror made him wince; he felt and _looked_ like shit. He sighed and got out of the bathroom, surprised to see Itachi waiting beside the door.

"Hey." The young Uchiha greeted him.

"Hey. Let's get going before the officers here pissed the hell out of your father again." Naruto gave Itachi a small smile, afraid that it'll turn out forced if he grinned in his usual way. He didn't want to appear weak in front of a child.

"You don't to act okay when you don't feel okay. Especially in front of me." Itachi held his hand, gripping it reassuringly. "I won't tell anyone, trust me."

"Don't patronize your elders, Itachi." Despite saying that, the blond squeezed the smaller hand that was holding him. Maybe it was bit pathetic that he, a grown man, was relying on a child for support.

Then again, when was the last time he relied on anyone for emotional support? When was the last time he told someone of the things that troubled him? Of his nightmares and fears? Naruto couldn't remember.

He people that he trusted ehough-Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune and his close friends. Enough but not enough to let them carry his own burden.

_Trust me. _Words that could easily be forgotten, easily broken and thrown away.

As Naruto looked at Itachi's eyes, eyes that seemed too old, too wise for a child yet still contained the innocence that only children were capable of having.

"Maybe I'll trust you. Just maybe."

They walked side by side, holding hands.

For the moment, Naruto was not alone.

**: : : : :**

tobecontinued...

**: : : : :**

**a/n:** I am so sorry for disappearing for almost a year on the FF world. This was the worst case of inspiration blockade and I feel horrible for leaving you all hanging. I know some (probably most T.T) are disappointed and angry and I terribly apologize if I made you feel that way. (bows repeatedly)

Again, thank you for those people who keep on supporting my stories and kept on waiting for any semblance of update.

But now I'm back for _real_. As in I''m writing again. I am going to finish what I started no matter what. I am working on the next chapter so I could upload it this week. (Or when I could actually upload it, given at how erratic my muse is.)

**a/n2**: A reviewer pointed out that I first wrote Sasuke divorced Sakura and in the last chapter, Sakura became the one to divorce Sasuke. I completely forgot about that part. It was supposed to be Sasuke, not Sakura. I'll change that.

And if anyone is interested, I have a tumblr. I made one so it will be easier to contact me if you can't contact me through PM or email. I spend too much time there ;;;

loki1827 . tumblr . com (remove the spaces)


	11. Mommy Hunt 11

The trip back was a very quiet affair.

After making sure that all of the arrangements for Sasuke and Naruto's release were secured, Shizune provided them a car that would take them back to the Uchiha's apartment. Naruto and Itachi took the back seat, still holding hands, leaving Sasuke on the passenger's seat.

Naruto chose to stay quiet for the rest of the trip. Leaning against the cold glass of the window, he entertained himself by watching the scenery outside, which consisted of large, square buildings illuminated by the streetlights. It wasn't amusing or entertaining—it was duller than a dead fingernail and made Naruto dizzy—but it provided him an ample amount of distraction so he didn't have to think of things that _hurt _him.

Naruto stilled when he felt the sudden addition of a weight on his side. He tilted his head a little and saw that the little boy was slumped against him, sleeping, which was understandable with Itachi still recovering from his previous bout of fever.

Itachi's mouth was slightly opened, letting some spit escape to the side. Naruto gently wiped it on the collar of the sleeping child's jacket and brushed the long strands of hair that escaped the ponytail. With him sleeping like this, Itachi looked like the child that he was supposed to be: a child, which was a fact that the blond sometimes forgets with how the small Uchiha acted. It was easier to think that he was an adult in a child's body rather than the reality that Itachi was a child, gifted with a mind years beyond his age—decades, even, but still a child that was biologically and physically five.

_I wonder how Sasuke looks like when he's asleep_. An image of a closed-eye, scowling and drooling Sasuke popped into his mind, making Naruto snicker a little too loudly. Sasuke gave him a glare through the rear view mirror, sensing that the blond's reaction had something to do with him in a ridiculous situation_. _He could add almost mind-reader to the list of the qualities of a super Uchiha. The car started to slow down until it came to a full stop; they arrived at their destination.

Naruto shook Itachi gently to wake him up. "Itachi, we're here. Wake up, kiddo."

Itachi dazedly made his way out of the car, his face almost landing in the pavement if Sasuke had not caught him quickly. Protests on being lifted and carried promptly turned into soft, childish snores.

"We better get inside quickly. It's cold here outside," Naruto commented. Sasuke nodded as they all made their way into the building. The doorman welcomed them, opening the doors. When they reach the elevators, Naruto offered to carry Itachi while Sasuke attended to entering the number that will let them ride. Seriously, rich people and their obsession with tightly securing of their worldly possessions.

"Well?" Naruto raised one eyebrow at Sasuke.

"Well what?"

"Elevators don't open themselves, you know. Unless, there's a lady dressed in a white nightgown with eyeball-less sockets waiting for you so she could scare you to death," Naruto said, shivering at the picture on his mind. He has to stop watching those Thai horror movies Shizune eagerly lends him. "Maybe we should take the stairs. You only live on the fifth floor right?

Sasuke sighed in defeat, reluctantly handling his sleeping son into Naruto's arm.

"Don't worry daddy dear. I won't let your son get dropped, scratched or to be touched even by the tip of a mosquito's leg. Even a minuscule speck of dust won't touch the top of your precious son's beanie hat." Naruto teased. "Really, you have 'I-don't-give-a-shit-'s-worth-for-anything' face but you're still a lil' softie when it comes to your son."

The black haired man gave him a glare as a reply before proceeding on entering the code for the elevator. They quickly reached the floor Sasuke and Itachi occupied; the black-haired man quickly opened the door and let Naruto enter first.

Naruto headed straight for the living room and plopped down to the sofa, face down. His body felt so heavy and his head was starting to hurt too. The blond turned to lie on his back, shielding his eyes from the light by placing his arm on his forehead.

"This sofa is stiff, like Sasuke's hair."

"If you don't like it go lie on the floor. I bet the wood is a lot more comfortable than where you are right now," Sasuke said sarcastically. He threw something towards Naruto that landed on his face, making the blond sit up.

"Wha—clothes? Why are you giving me clothes?" He asked, the puzzlement clearly shown on his face.

"You're not going to sleep in those filthy clothes."

"Are you trying to imply something, Uchiha? Are you telling me that I'm stinky?"

Used to the blond's outbursts, Sasuke just rolled his eyes and turned around. "There's a bathroom down the corridor. Take a bath or drown yourself, I don't care, as long as you get out clean and alive."

Naruto pulled in a deep breath and exhaled, before calling out to the other man. "Sasuke! I'm sorry for dragging you into something troublesome again. And for keeping you away from your son's side."

Sasuke didn't pause or turn around but the blond heard him reply with his usual 'hn'. Naruto felt that the grin on his face now was real, unstrained and natural. Collecting the clothes, he stood up and walked towards the bathroom, where a bath was already prepared with towels neatly folded on top of a chair and toiletries arranged. An unopened toothbrush was on the sink.

He guessed this was Sasuke's way of apologizing.

Finishing with scrubbing and washing his body, Naruto slipped into the bath, the warm temperature of the water slowly soothing the tension of his muscles. He filled the tub with soap bubbles, making the room smell like a mix of refreshing tropical fruits.

Naruto rested his head against the edge of the bathtub and closed his eyes. A scene from his childhood flashed.

_His mom was going to be very furious._

_Naruto held back the sniffles and wiped the whole of his face against his arm. He was dirty and tired but he didn't want to go home until he found that thing. The boy crawled on his knees, his hands parting down the blades of grass as he continued searching._

_"Oi dobe."_

_Just to his added rotten luck, his archenemy—which means his greatest rival, a word he learned from his father while they were playing videogames—Uchiha Sasuke appeared, standing on the field a few feet away from him._

_"I'm not a dobe!"Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Students are supposed to be with their parents right now." At the mention of parents, the blond started tearing up again. He hastily turned away and furiously rubbed his eyes against his arm._

_"Coming from a rule-breaker and a squirt like you, that's unbelievable. What are you doing crying and crawling here? You look like a kid who lived underground with all of that dirt."_

_"Shut up, Sasuke-baka! I'd rather live underground with the moles than get mom really mad at me." This time, Naruto couldn't stop the tears and pitifully sobbed. "I don't want mommy to get angry and throw me out and make me live with the mole people! Waaaaahhh!"_

_"Hey, stop wailing! Seiously, stop it." There were hands on his shoulders, gently shaking him._

_"I c-can't st-stop..hic…b-cos mom will n-ver forgive me…waaahhh!"_

_"Can you shut up for a minute? Shut up, and then explain so I'll know how to stop you from screaming your lungs out."_

_In between the hiccups,stuttering and wiping a runny nose, Naruto managed to tell the black-haired boy how he was forced to play shadow tag with his classmates and lost the item during the game._

_"And those guys didn't even help me look for it!" Naruto said angrily."It was their fault: I was always 'it', even if I step on their stupid shadows."_

_"What did Kushina-san give you anyway?" Sasuke asked._

_"A key chain...a fishcake key chain my mom made just for me."_

_"How do you expect us to find something that small in a ground as wide as this?" Sasuke rubbed his temples._

_"Us? You're going to help me?" Naruto's smile was so bright when Sasuke threw his bag on the ground and wordlessly started searching for the lost item along with the younger blond._

They found it two hours later, lying directly underneath the spot where the black-haired boy tossed his school bag. The two went to the blond's house and arrived at a fuming Kushina, worried Minato and a very stressed Mikoto. Sasuke took the initiative of explaining—added a few inputs of his own on Naruto's irresponsibility—while the blond had his ears thoroughly boxed by his own mother and simultaneously lectured by his father on the dangers of cute kids going home late and inconveniencing others.

Naruto laughed at the memory. He could still remember how his mother went to his room afterwards, embracing him tightly as she gently stroked his hair. He could still see her beautiful face stretched out in a wide smile, her long, red hair and her warmth and alive. If he could just have another hour to see and be with her again, he will gladly give up anything.

The blond let himself slide into the bath tub slowly and stopped when it reached the top of his mouth. He blew the bubbles, watching as they fly away, landing back to join their soapy, bubbly comrades.

He missed her so much.

**: : : : :**

Sasuke woke up around three a.m to the call of nature. After relieving himself and washing his hands, he went to Itachi's room to check up on his son's condition. The sight of Itachi trembling, sweating profusely while wrapped in his blankets sent him into panic. The temperature of his son almost burnt his hand when Sasuke placed the back of his hand on his Itachi's forehead. He went out of the room in a dash for the phone, cursing loudly when he stumbled on the decorative items his mother brought to 'add a little more color'.

"What's with early morning racket, Sasuke? I never thought that lawyers were so busy they wake up even just after less than two hours of sleep." Naruto yawned and stretched his arms as he pulled the door of the room he was staying in close.

"Itachi's temperature shot up. I think I need to bring him to the hospital or have the doctor visit him here or_both_." Sasuke nervously combed his messy hair back as he lifted the phone off its cradle and started dialing. "He would certainly get mad at me for doing this..."

"Hold your horses. You don't have to send him flying to the hospital; bringing him there might make it worst. Where's Itachi's room?" Naruto asked in a steady and calm manner. Sasuke lead the other man to his son's room.

Naruto softly pried the covers away from Itachi's shivering form, placing his hand on the boy's forehead and his neck to measure his temperature. He grabbed the digital thermometer from the bedside table

"Give me a towel." Sasuke handed the blond a striped green-and-white microfiber towel, watching as Naruto stripped the boy off Itachi's jacket and pajama tops, and wiped the layer of sweat covering his son's body. He grabbed the digital thermometer from the bedside table to gauge the child's actual temperature.

"It's 39 degree Celsius…Itachi's really burning up. Fill an ice bag with a three pieces of ice cube, and then bring me a small basin of cold tap water."Naruto said. Helpless, Sasuke just complied with Naruto's command and brought the requested items as quickly as he could.

When he came back, Itachi was wearing an old shirt a size larger, which Sasuke remembered as one of the boy's favorite shirt. Itachi wore it a lot of times until its collar loosened and color faced with so much washing. It was a gift from Sakura on their child's fourth birthday, sent from a foreign country the black-haired man could not remember where his ex-wife was stationed as a nurse. He was going to throw it out when his mother interfered, telling him that it wouldn't harm his son to have his mother's gift. Sasuke agreed, on the condition that they wouldn't let the boy know where it came from. He couldn't stop the sardonic smile on his face at the irony of it.

"You continue wiping him down, then place the ice bag on his forehead. That should cool him down." Naruto said. "I'll go fix him something light so he could take his medicine...how about onion soup? D'you have supplies and everything, since I know that you don't cook."

The black haired man looked at the blond with doubtful eyes.

"Yes, I cook and I'm damn good at it. Desperate times pushed me into learning." Naruto's eyes became distant as if he was seeing something beyond the room's ceiling. "All those expired canned goods and moldy plates that moved..." The blond shuddered as he took his leave.

He checked his son's temperature after a little while and was relieved to see that it dropped significantly. Itachi was a very healthy child so Sasuke could literally count the times his son had gotten ill with the fingers on his two hands. During those times that the child had contracted an illness, it was his mother who looked after Itachi due to Sasuke being busy with law school and part time jobs. This was only the second time the black-haired man had the chance of taking care of his sick child so Sasuke only had a vague idea on how to look after a feverish child.

Being a single parent, either you're a mother or a father, was hard since you have to fill in the role of a father and a mother. He never reconsidered remarrying but on times like these, Sasuke wondered if he was depriving his son of a chance to have a more normal life, a more normal childhood if Itachi had a mother figure.

Naruto returned with a steaming bowl of food he set on a plastic tray Sasuke didn't remember owning. The black-haired man took it from him, nodding at Naruto as a simple gesture of thanks. The blond just shrugged his shoulders, leaving the room quietly. Out of curiosity, he tasted the light, creamy looking soup with small pieces of what appeared to be bread; it didn't taste bad. If he was being honest, it was delicious.

Itachi was still sluggish when Sasuke woke him up so the older man had to feed him, which took about fifteen minutes with his son dropping off at certain points, almost letting his face land on the soup. After taking the medicine, Itachi was out like a light, back to slumber land. He stacked the empty bowl, glass and empty pitcher on the tray and left the room, heading for the kitchen where Naruto just finished cooking something that smelled so great it triggered his hunger. With all of the hustle last night, he wasn't surprised.

"His fever might come back. We should take turns staying by his side until we are sure it's completely gone." Naruto said, placing the plate of mixed fried rice with corn, peas and carrots. Sasuke didn't even know he had those things in his refrigerator. After placing the tray and its contents on the sink, he grabbed two bowls and two pair of chopsticks from one of the cabinets, giving one of each to the blond. They took their own portions and ate in a companionable silence.

Naruto took the first turn while Sasuke did the dishes. The rotation continued until nine, when Naruto woke Itachi for breakfast and medicine, took his temperature, and then let the boy get back to resting.

"His temperature is almost back to normal. There had been no further increase so I guess it's safe to say he's clear. Whew." Naruto let himself fall to the sofa. "This is seriously one uncomfortable sofa. I'm going to get stiff neck and a sore back just from sitting here."

"Again, the floor is very available." Sasuke pushed his glasses up as he read the file on his laptop again, not bothering to adjust them when it slipped lower. His employer offered to buy him a new pair but he declined because he was used to adjusting his eyeglasses when it slips.

"You're actually using them?"

"What?"

"The glasses." The blond pointed to the said item.

"No, I'm just wearing them so I could look smart and impress people," Sasuke said sarcastically. "You bought these so you know I need them." Even though he had an almost perfect vision, his eyes easily gets strained with reading so he uses glasses to minimize it.

"Yeah. _I_ bought them and you're actually using them. I didn't expect you to actually use them."

"Why shouldn't I? As I've told you, I actually need to use them."

The glasses were a gift from the blond for Sasuke's birthday way back in college. Sasuke wasn't sure how Naruto knew what brand and prescription he wore because it fitted him perfectly. He got so comfortable with it he didn't bother changing or buying another pair even though a lot of had commented on how loose it was on him due to its age. At the pleased grin on Naruto's face, Sasuke considered getting new ones just because he could.

: : : : :

Thankfully, it wasn't the middle of the night so there were no strange sounds or exaggerated shadows to trick him. Itachi went on with his business, washed his hands, wiped them down and left for his bedroom, wondering if Naruto was still around; it was past four in the afternoon and Itachi spent most of the day sleeping so he wasn't sure if the blond stayed. He felt disappointed that he wasn't able to spend more time with Naruto.

Itachi decided to forgo sleeping, deciding to watch a movie. He made a detour to the kitchen to see if there were any snacks available or any leftovers from the blond's cooking. To his surprise, he found Naruto sitting by the table comfortably dresses in one of Itachi's father's t-shirts, peeling off one large prawn.

"I thought you went home," Itachi said, eyeing the number of grocery bags surrounding the blond, the items spilling out, on the table, countertop and on the floor. He had never seen these many bags purchased in one shopping trip.

"Sasuke was embarrassed with your empty cupboards and expired goods covered in dust so he dragged me in an impromptu shopping trip to the supermarket, then to the nearest department store," Naruto explained, gesturing to the objects lying on the different parts of the Uchihas' kitchen. "Sasuke was called to the office so I volunteered my services for dinner. Man, you're recovering and its Saturday and all he could think about is working still."

Itachi shrugged his shoulders. "It's normal for Dad to take priority of his work. Living in the city is expensive—bills to pay, food and basic necessities plus the cost of raising a child, and there are emergencies to consider," He told Naruto, short of rude.

Itachi wanted to show Naruto that he understood his father perfectly and that it wasn't his father's choice why their circumstances were like this. He wasn't one of those sniveling, tantrum-throwing kids that the blond probably thought he was. Maybe Itachi was reading too much into Naruto's words but he couldn't stamp down the irritation at being treated like a child—a _burden._

He was not a burden. He was trying not to be one.

Itachi felt his eyes stinging and to avoid embarrassing himself, he stomped out of the kitchen and headed to his own room. He dove under his blankets and buried his face on his pillows, angry tears pouring out of him. He felt so stupid, stupid and a child and he was acting like a hormonal teenage girl with his emotions out of control. This is why Itachi hated being goddamn sick—he didn't care if he used one of those words that he wasn't supposed to use.

The door let out a small creak as it was pushed open, followed by footsteps that stopped at foot of his bed.

"Hey, I'm sorry if you thought that I was insinuating that Sasuke is an irresponsible father; I'm not." Not receiving any answer, Naruto continued. "I totally didn't mean to make it sound like that. I'll leave after I finish cooking so you won't be upset anymore, okay?"

"I'm not angry." Itachi removed the pillow but didn't get out from under the covers. "I'm not angry at you and I know you didn't mean it like that. I think I'm reaching puberty because I'm becoming emotionally unstable."

Naruto laughed. "I don't think it's that. You're years away from that period but whatever. So apology accepted?"

Itachi sniffled and wiped the tears off his face. He was such a baby; now he can't get out of because he felt so embarrassed. The bed dipped and Itachi felt the weight of a hand on his back.

"So? Am I forgiven or what?"

"Yes."

"Then stop sulking and get out. Or are you still feeling unwell? Maybe you should just rest."

"I'm fine. And I'm not sulking."

"You are."

"I'm not."

"Yes you are."

Itachi flipped the covers off, sat up holding his shoulders square and straight. " .." He enunciated each word to give more emphasis. It would have turned out convincing if Itachi didn't resemble a ruffled chick with his tear-stained face and pout. Naruto held his laughter at bay.

"I grew up with Sasuke and I just could tell you all of the times he hid under his covers when he's pissed or sour or just being moody. And your face..." Naruto snickered a bit. "You look so much like him."

Somehow, Itachi could not imagine his father in the same position like this, making a fool out of himself by projecting his own issues at others. Remembering why he was here in the first place made Itachi want to duck under the blankets again, which he just did. Today seemed to be 'humiliate-yourself-Itachi' day and somehow, it just had to happen with the person Itachi was planning to impress and win-over.

"Why are you hiding?"

"…"

"Huh? I don"t hear ya."ad and enthusiastically wrapped in large, warm hug. He could feel the vibration of Naruto's laughter; hear him say "you're just cute". Itachi removed the blanket covering his face to protest but halted when he saw Naruto smiling openly at him.

"I'm ashamed because I acted like a jerk. And I was supposed to say sorry first."

He lets out a not squeak—because Itachi didn't do squeaking—when he was lifted off the bed and was suddenly enveloped in another hug.

Itachi was relieved when he saw that Naruto was laughing again, which was a sign that the blond was back to his normal self. For him, there was no expression that suited Naruto perfectly other than a smile. Naruto smiling reminded Itachi of clear blue, blue skies; open, honest and carefree. Despite that Itachi preferred Naruto to stay that way, there was a part of him that was glad that he was able to see the other part-hurt, vulnerable.

Itachi wanted to learn more about Naruto.

* * *

**(t b c)**

* * *

Thank you for the continued support guys. The reviews are just wow. I've never thought that this story will be very loved by you wonderful, wonderful peeps Each word you leave makes me feel proud and happy even though I haven't been very responsible lately.

I apologize for my epic failings in updating T.T. I've been very, very busy with transferring to a new uni and part time job and other little things.

I'm not really contented with this chapter but this file had been festering in my doc manager for five, six months? I'm not sure. Wanted's 2nd year mark passed like a blink. I was keen on not publishing this until I got a head start for the next chapter so you guys won't be left hanging but I realized that I'm not very good with planning. Le sigh.

Thank you again and I hope I'll be much. much earlier for the next chapter because my goal is to finish my stories before 2012 ends. :)

And yes, I accept fanarts :) Please don't be shy XD


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